distillate of orpiment

Byzantium
14th Century
Source: Martelli, Matteo. "Late Byzantine Alchemical Recipe Books," pp. 356-360.
Recipe Details

Ingredients

distillate of orpiment, copper filings, white linseed oil, silver

Preparation Steps

One exagion of orpiment distillate is ground with 15 exagia of copper filings and white linseed oil. The mixture is moistened up to seven times, melted and poured twice, then combined with 5 exagia of silver and melted again (p. 357).

Original Recipe Text

One exagion of orpiment distillate is ground with 15 exagia of copper filings and white linseed oil. The mixture is moistened up to seven times, melted and poured twice, then combined with 5 exagia of silver and melted again (p. 357).

Evidence

"Take distillate of orpiment, 1 exagion; copper filings, 15 exagia; grind them well with white linseed oil and moisten them up to seven times."

Remarks

The use of white linseed oil as a grinding medium for metallic filings and arsenic-based pigments is documented here in a Late Byzantine context (p. 357).

Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionAs2S3
Analytical Techniques
Textual edition
Translation
Philological analysis
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
BinderDrying oil
ColorYellow
RegionByzantium
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
AuthorMartelli, Matteo. "Late Byzantine Alchemical Recipe Books," pp. 356-360.
CollectionLate Byzantine Alchemical Recipe Books (Recipe 4)
Language
N/A
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