Orange: From Sacred Saffron to the Spark of Electricity

What Came First: The Colour or the Fruit?

The word “orange” didn’t enter English until the fruit arrived from Asia. Before that, artists and writers described the hue with terms like “red-yellow” or “saffron.”

This means that in early English art, you won’t find anything explicitly called “orange”, even when it clearly appears. It’s a perfect example of how language and materials shape the way we see, name and understand colour.

The Colour of Electricity

Long before modern technology, amber fossilised tree resin with a warm orange glow captured the human imagination. Beyond its use in jewellery, the ancient Greeks noticed a curious property when rubbed, amber attracted dust and fibres.

They named it ēlektron, which became the root of the word electricity. In this way, a simple orange-hued stone helped spark one of humanity’s greatest discoveries. Orange has always carried energy, movement and transformative power, both visually and scientifically.

Orange Was Once Sacred

In Hinduism and Buddhism, orange particularly the saffron tone, holds deep spiritual meaning. It symbolises purity, renunciation and the pursuit of knowledge.

Buddhist monks traditionally wear orange robes dyed with natural pigments from turmeric or saffron flowers. The colour signifies devotion, discipline and the renunciation of material life long before it became a design trend or Pantone swatch.