brazilwood lake pigment (brazilein)

Ingredients

brazilein, lead white, calcium carbonate, gypsum, mesquite gum

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The pinks use brazilein as the main dye. Formulations vary: the Ajuda Songbook uses lead white and calcium carbonate in architecture; Musicians’ codex and Lapidary use lead white; the Rich codex uses parchment color with a thin layer of brazilwood paint without additives (p. 293). The binder is quantified as mesquite gum (p. 294).

Evidence

"The identification of brazilwood pinks and reds in the manuscripts of the scriptorium of Alfonso X attests to its first use in works of art in Europe... we could reproduce the complete formulations of the pink colors, where besides brazilwood lake pigment, we quantified the tempera as mesquite gum and the additives such as lead white and calcium carbonate"

Remarks

This represents the first reported use of brazilwood lake pigments in medieval manuscript illuminations (p. 294). The monarch Alfonso X reportedly wanted to control the brazilwood supply in Castile and Aragon (p. 294).