golden inks (chrysography)
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
iron, lead, electrum, orpiment
Preparation Steps
Golden inks are manufactured by the mechanical grinding of metallic components including iron, lead, and electrum (a gold-silver alloy), combined with mineral pigments, specifically orpiment (p. 348).
Original Recipe Text
Golden inks are manufactured by the mechanical grinding of metallic components including iron, lead, and electrum (a gold-silver alloy), combined with mineral pigments, specifically orpiment (p. 348).
Evidence
"golden inks are prepared by grinding various metals (iron, lead, electrum) and minerals (mainly orpiment)."
Remarks
These recipes appear in a section of the manuscript dedicated to the 'Art of Goldsmiths' and are grouped with chapters on agriculture and hunting (p. 348).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionFe, Pb, Au/Ag alloy, As2S3
Analytical Techniques
philological analysis
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
ColorGold
RegionByzantium
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
AuthorMartelli, M.
CollectionMS Bononiensis 1808, f. 54v
Language
N/A
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