silver inks (argyrography)
Byzantium
14th Century
Source: Martelli, M. (2023). Late Byzantine Alchemical Recipe Books: Metallurgy, Pharmacology, and Cuisine. In Baki, C. & Eneyni, R. (Eds.), Policy Advisory Systems in Autocracies (pp. 336-353). Cambridge University Press.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
silver filings, mercury, Arabic gum
Preparation Steps
The recipe for silver ink (argyrography) requires taking silver filings and grinding them with mercury within a marble mortar (p. 347). Once the amalgam is processed, a sufficient amount of Arabic gum (gummi) is mixed in to facilitate the writing process (p. 347).
Original Recipe Text
The recipe for silver ink (argyrography) requires taking silver filings and grinding them with mercury within a marble mortar (p. 347). Once the amalgam is processed, a sufficient amount of Arabic gum (gummi) is mixed in to facilitate the writing process (p. 347).
Evidence
"On writing in silver letters. Explication of how to write in silver letters. Take silver filings and grind with mercury in a marble mortar; then mix enough Arabic gum and write."
Remarks
The addition of mercury facilitated the grinding of the silver metal. Similar preparations are noted in the Leiden papyrus and the Mappae clavicula (p. 347). The recipe is part of a larger section in MS Bononiensis 1808 containing hundreds of medical and technical formulas (p. 346).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionAg, Hg
Analytical Techniques
philological analysis
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
BinderAcacia gum
ColorSilver
RegionByzantium
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
AuthorMartelli, M.
CollectionMS Bononiensis 1808, f. 46v
Language
N/A
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