A natural, golden yellow colorant obtained from the orange stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower native to the Middle East. Saffron was introduced to Europe through Spain in the 8th century. The deep yellow to orange colour in saffron is primarily due to crocetin. It is extracted by boiling the dried flowers in water. The transparent colorant was used as a watercolour pigment and a tint in varnishes. It is listed among the pigments and dyes used for colouring stucco marble in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Synonyms: crocin; karcom (Lat.); krokus (Gr.); azafran de Otono (Sp.); auripetrum colorant; red gold; Natural Yellow 6; CI 75100; safran (Fr.); Echter safran (Ger.); zafferano (It.); safraan (Dut.); French saffron. Wittenburg (1999); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2000). [J. Cassar, R. de Angelis]