As you drive through the Swedish countryside, you can’t help but notice how many houses and barns are painted the same shade of red. Well, that red has a name – Falu Red or Falu Rödfärg – and historical significance.

Falu Red is named for Falun, a small town outside of Stockholm. NCS S5040-Y80R  – that’s what you’d ask for in a Swedish paint store – was created from the red pigment byproduct of the Falun copper mines. These mines were an early source of wealth for Sweden and a graveyard for too many Swedish miners. It’s Falun Mine that you see pictured in our header and the first photo below.

Falu red offered a protective coating to its buildings and was seen to mimic the expensive brick houses of more wealthy landowners. In Swedish folk songs, ‘the little red cottage’ symbolizes a simple, happy country life.

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You’ll also see Falu Red in the paintings of well-known, historic Swedish painters.

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Hanna Hirsch-Pauli. The Farm. 1887

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Anders Zorn. The Mora Fair. 1892

Jenny Nyström. The Broken Doll. 1874

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Jenny Nyström. Getting the Christmas Tree.

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Carl Larsson. Gården och brygghuset. 1897

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Carl Larsson. Frukost under stora björken. 1896

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Anders Zorn. Midsummer Dance. 1897

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Written by Elizabeth Newton
www.creatorsvancouver.com