Colors of Provence

The colors of Provence, in addition to its flavors and fragrances, have enchanted the entire world; from Tokyo to Toronto, from Stockholm to San Francisco. Yellow ochre and red ocher color the walls of restaurants, and the windows of Provençal boutiques display the brightly printed cotton fabrics and pottery generously filled with olive oil, lavender, and the soap of Marseille. But what are these colors really? From what history and traditions did they arise? Did eighteenthcentury Provence possess the same color as today's Provence? I am going to tell you of my Provence, show you the extraordinary things of everyday life, the earth shimmering in the delicate light of irises, flowered blankets patiently quilted by grandmothers, coral jewelry, and tell you the history of these natural colors, dyes, and glazes, as well as the colors of exotic, foreign goods imported to Marseille: orange and indigo, tomato and plant dyes. I will tantalize your appetite with tomato preserves and saffron rice with Mediterranean shellfish, and thus hope you will come to love and admire the beautiful and peaceful harmony that has always reigned over Provence.