iron-gall ink

Ingredients

iron-gall ink

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The iron-gall ink was used to outline the gold-leaf letterforms. Its application served to cover the cut edges of the gold leaf pieces and provide crisp definition to the Kufic script (p. 77).

Evidence

"outlined with an iron-gall ink, which aims to conceal the cut edges of the gold leaf and to define the shapes of the letters (Fig. 7b)"

Remarks

The use of iron-gall ink as a secondary application over gold leaf indicates a complex multi-step calligraphic process. It served an aesthetic purpose by defining the shapes of the letters and a structural purpose by masking the interface between the gold leaf and the ground (p. 77).