folium

Ingredients

Chrozophora tinctoria, indigo

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

In this manuscript, folium was used to obtain different shades of bluish grey and was sometimes mixed with indigo for pale grey tones (p. 26). General folium extraction involves cold water extraction from fruit cuticles as established by reference standards in this study (p. 21).

Evidence

"Four occurrences of folium were identified by the authors... in ms. Copte 129(11) kept at Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris (BnF), produced in Lower Egypt. ... Folium was used in this manuscript at ff. 113r and 113v to obtain different shades of bluish grey, mainly in the zoomorphic decoration of the margins; it was sometimes mixed with indigo for pale grey tones (see e.g. f. 113v, Figure 16)."

Remarks

Ms. Copte 129(11) is a volume of the New Testament containing Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypse. It was written in the last quarter of the 10th century CE. The identification of folium in this manuscript is significant as it shows the use of the dye in Egypt long before the first Crusade (1096–1099 CE) (p. 26).