Degraded verdigris
Iraq
9th Century
Source: Marotta, G., Fedeli, A., Sathiyamani, S., & Colini, C. (2025). Archaeometric philology for the study of deteriorated and overlapping layers of ink: the colour code of an early Qur’anic fragment. Eur. Phys. J. Plus, 140, 446.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
verdigris, copper acetate, vinegar, copper cyanide
Preparation Steps
Al-Marrākushī (mid-13th century) describes 'the green hibr' prepared using vinegar for the declensional endings in Qur'anic manuscripts (Section 5, p. 9).
Original Recipe Text
Al-Marrākushī (mid-13th century) describes 'the green hibr' prepared using vinegar for the declensional endings in Qur'anic manuscripts (Section 5, p. 9).
Evidence
"we suggest that the green pigment used in this manuscript can be identified as verdigris, since degradation products compatible with its alteration have been detected with Raman spectroscopy... we noticed weak peaks... characteristic of organo-copper complexes resulting from a verdigris alteration."
Remarks
Used to mark first-level variants (p. 13). The copper-based pigment is prone to degradation and interactions with support media, leading to the formation of unstable copper acetates and corrosion products (Section 4.2). Presence of mercury suggests tool cross-contamination (p. 9).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical Composition(CH3COO)2Cu·H2O
Analytical Techniques
XRF
Raman spectrometer
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorGreen
RegionIraq
Approx. Year850
Source Information
AuthorMarotta, G., Fedeli, A., Sathiyamani, S., & Colini, C.
Collectionf. 3r, f. 5r, f. 7v, f. 9r, f. 10v
Language
N/A
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