orpiment

Ingredients

orpiment, fig, grape seeds, gypsum

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The preparation was found inside a small glazed ceramic pot (6.5 cm high) from the 11th-century Taifa period. The mixture was composed of a mineral base of orpiment (yellow arsenic sulphide, As2S3) and minor amounts of gypsum. Vegetal matter was intentionally included in the form of a whole fig (Ficus carica L.) and several grape seeds (Vitis vinifera L.). Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of saccharides and fatty acids, which the authors suggest are derived from the fig and potentially other organic additives used in the chemical preparation (Abstract, p. 3350, Section 3.1).

Evidence

"The analysis of the contents of an Islamic glazed ceramic pot found in Zaragoza (Spain) revealed an ancient 'chemical' preparation (11th century AD). The use of several analytical techniques (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry and X-ray diffraction, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) enabled us to identify mineral, organic and vegetal components: orpiment, a fig, and some grape seeds, together with a small amount of gypsum."

Remarks

The authors identify the substance as a dual-purpose preparation that could serve as either a pigment for manuscript illumination and decoration or as a medicinal remedy, known in Arabic pharmacology as 'yellow arsenic'. The contents were uniquely preserved because they blocked the mouth of the pot, preventing the ingress of soil or the loss of the original mixture. The ceramic vessel itself was an alkali-high lead glaze type with a honey-yellow body and brown-black manganese painted stripes (p. 3350). The presence of a whole fig and grape seeds suggests a complex 'chemical' preparation rather than just a ground pigment (p. 3351).