cinnabar

Ingredients

cinnabar, wheat dough, aloe

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Combine two parts of an unknown substance (referred to as "tubes") with one part of finely ground cinnabar. Mix with well-sifted wheat dough and aloe to form a soap-like paste. Ferment this paste for half a day. Coat a pen with it, dry in the sun, write with iron, and smoke with sulfur.

Evidence

"Take the tubes $^{(2)}$, take two parts of them, and take one part of cinnabar $^{(4)}$. Grind it very finely on a marble slab, then proceed to a wheat dough $^{(5)}$, and sift it very well... then hang upon it the cinnabar and the [aloe] $^{(1)}$ in the amount that can be kneaded."

Remarks

This recipe describes a process for creating a coating that is then blackened with sulfur smoke. The exact nature of the 'tubes' is unclear. The iron writing is likely a mordant.