صبغ الأحمر
Yemen
14th Century
Source: Al-Malik al-Afdal al-Abbas ibn Ali, Zahr al-Basatin fi 'Ilm al-Mashatin, edited by scholarly committee.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
ساق الحمام المليح, عرق الحلاوة, الشيرج, شعر العصفر الأحمر
Preparation Steps
Take the stem of the 'Salih Pigeon' plant (Alkanet), also known as 'Arq al-Halawa' (Sweetness Root), and break it. Add it to sesame oil (al-shiraj) in a glass bottle. Place the bottle on hot embers to boil. Once boiling, add an amount equal to one-eighth of 'red safflower hair' (safflower fibers). Leave it to boil until the desired red color is achieved. The text notes that this pigment is used in lamps/lanterns and throws its color onto the water beneath it (p. 118).
Original Recipe Text
Take the stem of the 'Salih Pigeon' plant (Alkanet), also known as 'Arq al-Halawa' (Sweetness Root), and break it. Add it to sesame oil (al-shiraj) in a glass bottle. Place the bottle on hot embers to boil. Once boiling, add an amount equal to one-eighth of 'red safflower hair' (safflower fibers). Leave it to boil until the desired red color is achieved. The text notes that this pigment is used in lamps/lanterns and throws its color onto the water beneath it (p. 118).
Evidence
"وهو أن تأخذ ساق الحمام المليح -ويسمى عرق الحلاوة- فتكسره ثم ترميه على الشيرج في قنينة . وتضع القنينة على الجمر تغلي . فإذا غليت فألقِ عليها وزن ثمن من شعر العصفر الأحمر"
Remarks
The editor's footnote (8) identifies 'Saq al-Hammam' as a type of Garcinia mangostana or Alkanet. Footnote (9) identifies the safflower as Carthamus tinctorius. The process is designed for oil-based lamps where the color must remain stable or interact with the water in the lamp (p. 118).
Scientific Analysis
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
Binderالشيرج
Colorالأحمر
RegionYemen
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
AuthorAl-Malik al-Afdal al-Abbas ibn Ali, Zahr al-Basatin fi 'Ilm al-Mashatin, edited by scholarly committee.
CollectionUnknown
Language
N/A
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