Requires a Deep Base Paint Recommended Base Paint: Deep Base Interior Flat Wall PaintThe shade is dynamic in light or shadow.��The history of carmine. In antiquity it was already known that cochineals (scaled insects found on the kermes oak in the Mediterranean) produce an intensely red dye carmine or scarlet. Greeks called the peasized little balls scarlet berries or grains of paradise the Romans called them grana grains.Female cochineals lay eggs filled with red juice and then die. The eggs develop underneath them. The beetles were scraped from the leaves and when dry ground into a red powder. Carmine colors first became important in Europe in the 15th century when purple dyes were lost in the course of the Turkish conquest of Constantinople. At this time the Roman church saw the occurrence of alum (a salt with tanning characteristics that makes fabric lightresistant and washresistant) on its land as a gift from God. In 1464 Pope Pius II chose carmine as the color for candinals' robes. Clothing for kings and princes was also dyed in this color. Shortly afterward the red of the cochineals came to Europe from Central America (via Spain). It possesses the same dye in twelve times the concentration and provides a deep shining slightly bluish carmine red. The whole of Europe was impressed by the radiant and noble red. As well as cardinals and kings judges painters and prostitutes also sought carmine products.Spain generated great wealth with the trade in cochineals.