iron gall ink made with iron filings
Sicily
13th Century
Source: Colini, Claudia. "Replicating Recipes of Arabic Black Inks." In: Arabic Manuscripts: A Vademecum for Readers, 2021, pp. 147-153.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
bark, vinegar, iron filings
Preparation Steps
Recipe for iron gall ink made by boiling bark with vinegar and iron filings (p. 149). The acid (vinegar) serves to facilitate the production of iron (II) ions without binding iron, resulting in a superior stoichiometric relation between the iron and the tannins (p. 148).
Original Recipe Text
Recipe for iron gall ink made by boiling bark with vinegar and iron filings (p. 149). The acid (vinegar) serves to facilitate the production of iron (II) ions without binding iron, resulting in a superior stoichiometric relation between the iron and the tannins (p. 148).
Evidence
"The two reproduced recipes made with the addition of acid (from contemporary Kenya and al-Qalalūsī’s treatise, Fig. 7.5 A and 7.5 B respectively) have a darker colour after ageing than the one made without (by al-Marrākušī, Fig. 7.5 C)."
Remarks
Al-Qalalūsī's 13th-century recipe was reformulated by an anonymous Sicilian scribe (p. 147). The reproduction proved that the addition of acid (vinegar) results in a darker and more stable ink compared to recipes lacking an auxiliary acid source (p. 148).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical Compositioniron (II) gallate
Analytical Techniques
XRF
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
ColorBlack
RegionSicily
Approx. Year1250
Source Information
AuthorColini, Claudia. "Replicating Recipes of Arabic Black Inks." In: Arabic Manuscripts: A Vademecum for Readers, 2021, pp. 147-153.
CollectionTuḥaf al-ḫawāṣṣ by al-Qalalūsī
Language
N/A
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