pink dyestuff (safflower)
Egypt
14th Century
Source: Porter, Cheryl. "The Science of Color: Color Analysis and the Roles of Economics, Geography, and Tradition in the Artist’s Choice of Colors for Manuscript Painting." In: And Diverse Are Their Hues: Color in Islamic Art and Culture (Eds. Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom), Yale University Press, 2011.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)
Preparation Steps
The process involves washing the plant for 4-5 hours to flush away water-soluble yellow components (p. 15). The florets are mixed with an alkaline solution before adding an acid to precipitate the dye (p. 15). A reddish liquid is extracted and left to stand in the dark for three days before a precipitate is filtered off to make paint (p. 15-16).
Original Recipe Text
The process involves washing the plant for 4-5 hours to flush away water-soluble yellow components (p. 15). The florets are mixed with an alkaline solution before adding an acid to precipitate the dye (p. 15). A reddish liquid is extracted and left to stand in the dark for three days before a precipitate is filtered off to make paint (p. 15-16).
Evidence
"The pink dyestuff in Rasid 9 was analyzed by the Scientific Department of the National Gallery, London, using hplc... identified as safflower or Carthamus tinctorius... In Rasid 9, it is used as a glaze over the gold-leaf illumination."
Remarks
Commonly called 'the poor man's saffron' (p. 18). Known as 'al-usfur' in Arabic (p. 13). Ibn Badis (c. 1007-1061) describes this specific application over gold, silver, and tin (p. 16).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionC27H30O15 (Carthamin)
Analytical Techniques
hplc (High Performance Liquid Chromatography)
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorPink
RegionEgypt
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
AuthorPorter, Cheryl. "The Science of Color: Color Analysis and the Roles of Economics, Geography, and Tradition in the Artist’s Choice of Colors for Manuscript Painting." In: And Diverse Are Their Hues: Color in Islamic Art and Culture
CollectionEgypt
Language
N/A
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