Mixed ink (carbon and, iron-gall)

Ingredients

carbon, iron-gall, iron sulphate, animal bones (black bone)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The ink belongs to the category of 'mixed' or 'compound' inks, which combine traditional components of both carbon-based and iron-gall (tanning agent) inks (p. 55). Analysis indicates the presence of phosphorus (at 984 cm-1), which the authors attribute to apatite resulting from the burning of animal bones, identifying the carbon component specifically as black bone (p. 65). Iron sulphate is indicated by a peak at 1454 cm-1 (p. 63).

Evidence

"Mixed ink (carbon and, iron-gall), and vermilion (HgS) were identified, as black ink and red ink, respectively."

Remarks

Raman analysis confirmed the presence of carbon black through strong bands at 1334 and 1588 cm-1 (p. 63, Fig. 9). The inclusion of iron (Fe 0.23%) and sulphur (S 0.057%) in the XRF data (p. 63) confirms the iron-gall component. This specific mixture was used for the primary text body of the manuscript (p. 58).