Resonance Raman spectroscopy has been utilized to identify vegetal and animal dyes and lakes. These compounds have been used by artists since antiquity, and their identification has important implications in art history and conservation. The resonance condition is useful when working with real ancient objects so as to enhance the Raman scattering of chromophores with respect to the strong signal of the matrix, such as the textile or parchment over which the colorant is supported. The strong fluorescence that generally characterizes the resonance Raman spectra was eliminated by using subtracted shifted Raman spectroscopy (SSRS). A systematic study on reference organic dyes was primarily carried out to evaluate the suitability of the method and to estimate the strengths and limitations of the spectrum reconstruction process. The method was then applied to the noninvasive identification of madder on ancient dyed silk textiles such as an altar table cloth and a manutergium attributed to the Egyptian artistic textile production of the 10th–11th Century A.D. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Subtracted shifted Raman spectroscopy (SSRS) has been applied to study red natural organic dyes and lakes. This study represents a first step towards the creation of a wide spectral database for a fast and reliable Raman identification of dyes and lakes on original works of art to be carried out both in laboratory and in situ using portable instrumentation.