Gardenia Seed Lake

Description

Gardenia Seed Lake is a natural, handmade botanical pigment created by precipitating the brilliant yellow dye from Gardenia jasminoides seeds onto a mineral substrate. This process, known as “laking”, transforms a water-soluble dye into an insoluble, permanent pigment suitable for fine art. The resulting color is a soft yet vivid yellow with golden undertones, offering a luminous and transparent quality that works beautifully in watercolor, tempera, and glazing applications.

Unlike synthetic yellows, Gardenia Seed Lake retains the delicate organic warmth of the plant itself, giving artwork an unmistakably natural vibrancy. It is a transparent pigment with moderate staining ability, prized for its ability to layer into glowing glazes or mix with earth tones to create subtle greens and oranges.

History

Gardenia-based yellows have been used for centuries in East Asia, particularly in China and Japan, where gardenia seeds (zhīzi in Chinese) were cultivated not only for medicinal use but also for textile dyeing and painting. The seeds produce a brilliant yellow dye, historically employed in Buddhist robes, festival garments, and manuscript illumination.

Artists and dyers transformed the dye into a lake pigment by fixing it to alum or chalk bases, enabling its use in paints, inks, and decorative arts. While less common in European palettes, botanical lakes like this were cherished for their intensity and botanical origin, connecting the painter’s craft to the cycles of nature.

Today, Gardenia Seed Lake is a rare and historically authentic pigment for artists seeking to revive traditional methods and add a touch of golden translucence to their palette.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Natural Botanical Lake (Gardenia jasminoides seeds)

Suitable Mediums: Watercolor, Tempera, Gouache, Mixed Media (less suitable for oils due to fugitive nature)

Lightfastness: Moderate (botanical lakes are less stable than mineral pigments; best for archival or protected works)

Opacity: Transparent

Other Names: Gardenia Yellow, Zhīzi Huang, Cape Jasmine Yellow

Color Index Code: N/A