cinnabar

Ingredients

alum water, cinnabar, wine vinegar

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

After the pen has been treated with alum water and dried, finely grind cinnabar on a marble slab. Moisten the ground cinnabar with wine vinegar until it forms an ink-like consistency. This ink can then be used for decorations.

Evidence

"When the pen has dried from the alum water, take good cinnabar, grind it on a marble slab very finely, and moisten it after extreme grinding with wine vinegar until it resembles ink. Then pour it into that pen according to the craft you desire, and make whatever decorations you wish."

Remarks

This recipe describes the creation of a red ink using cinnabar as the pigment and wine vinegar as the binder. The initial alum water treatment is likely a mordant to prepare the writing surface.