orpiment or synthetic As2S3

Ingredients

orpiment, synthetic As2S3

Evidence

"Nöller & Hahn [203] have identified copious use of orpiment or synthetic As2S3 on 6th to 13th Century CE illuminated manuscripts from Central Asia, found at various sites along the Silk Road."

Remarks

The text notes the copious use of either natural orpiment or its synthetic analogue on illuminated manuscripts spanning a broad date range from the 6th to the 13th century along the Silk Road (p. 21). These pigments were prized for their intense golden-yellow colors but were known to be unstable, potentially converting to white arsenic (As2O3) in oxygen-rich environments (p. 21).