the carmine of antiquity also contains carminic acid, and was extracted from a similar insect, "kermes vermilio", which lives on "quercus coccifera" oaks native to the near east, and the european side of the mediterranean basin. "kermes" carmine was used as a dye and a laked pigment in ancient egypt, greece, armenia and the near east and is one of the oldest organic pigments. recipes for artists' use of carmine appear in many early painting and alchemical handbooks throughout the middle ages; the laking process for both pigments was improved in the 19th century. carmine was not light-fast and was largely abandoned in art.