cinnabar

Arabic
14th Century
Source: Raggetti, L. (2019). Inks as Instruments of Writing. Journal of Islamic Manuscripts, 10(2), 201–239.
Recipe Details

Ingredients

ground cinnabar, salt water, yellow gallnuts water

Preparation Steps

Ground cinnabar is washed with salt water and dried. It is then dissolved in yellow gallnut water and used to write, resulting in a ruby red color (p. 224).

Original Recipe Text

Ground cinnabar is washed with salt water and dried. It is then dissolved in yellow gallnut water and used to write, resulting in a ruby red color (p. 224).

Evidence

"Take some ground cinnabar, wash it with salt water, leave it until it dries, dissolve it with yellow gallnuts water, make it into an ink, write with it, and then a ruby red ink will emerge. (p. 224)"

Remarks

The term 'ruby ink' is categorized by Raggetti as a refined branding for cinnabar-based metallic ink (p. 224, n. 41).

Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionHgS
Analytical Techniques
philological analysis
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
Binderyellow gallnuts water
ColorRed
RegionArabic
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
AuthorRaggetti, L.
CollectionMS Berlin Sprenger 1918
Language
N/A
AI Suggestions
Find similar recipes based on ingredients and preparation methods.
    cinnabar (14th Century) | Islamic Ink Atlas