This grouping of historical colors which are merely called "red lake" can be any one of a number of pigments which are usually not further clarified. Precise identification of this term eludes the casual reader of National Gallery Bulletins and this interests us very much.
This somewhat diverse class of names have a way of leaving one wanting more in terms of clarity when reconstructing the palettes of famous painters. The names of the red lakes or red lac as it is sometimes called, sometimes display a certain specificity (like cochineal). Yet the terms can seem to rearrange and melt into one another again (is cochineal the same as kermes? They are given different pigment codes).
Here we refer to the laked pigments of madder (also see notes on NR9), cochineal (NR4) - that much-discussed insect, and kermes, another often-mentioned insect and its associated dye (NR3)- which also has a way of blending into the cohcineal-natural-crimson-lake-listings in conservation history.
If a person wants to get really precise, they would have to differentiate between the plants Rubia tinctorum L., and its varieties, the Conchineal insects, such as Dactylopius coccus, and the Kermes insects, which include Kermes vermilio. However the list does not stop there. It is possible that a few other characters join the cast. Another possible red lake is what George Field calls Indian Lake, "Or Lac Lake… obtained from the lac, or lacca of India, a resinous secretion found on the branches of certain plants in Siam, Assam, and Bengal." n\nSome of these historical lakes have held up surprisingly well but many have faded (the Mona Lisa used to have red sleeves) and Van Gogh's purples made with eosin- another vibrant red lake- have turned from violet to blue. So while interesting research may be done on their composition and manufacture, as well as inquiry into why some red lakes have not faded so badly, historical red lakes on the whole are not considered lightfast. This group could also contain the natural madders, see NR9.
