Metallurgy, Materials & Chemistry
Lac dye and shellac
ancient onwardIndian lac producersLac insect resinPan-Indian / unspecified
1,000 BCE
Lac resin and dye from insects, used for dyeing, sealing and lacquer.
- Dated
- 1,000 BCE–1757
- As scholars put it
- ancient onward
- Originator
- Indian lac producers
- Source text
- Lac insect resin
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Metallurgy, Materials & Chemistry
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- Medium
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Shellac became essential to Western varnish and early records.
Fair to say
India was the main but not the only source.
Path to modern innovation
Still used in food glazes and finishes.
Transmission
Exported for centuries.
References
- 1Trade histories
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-298 on GitHub.