brazilwood lake pigments

Ingredients

brazilwood (Biancaea sappan), alum, lead white, calcium carbonate

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The process of preparing a lake pigment involves extracting the dye brazilein from the rasps of the wood with an alkaline or neutral solution and complexing it with a metallic ion, usually by adding alum (p. 274). In the Rich codex and Book of Games, it was applied as a thin varnish-like layer (p. 286). In the Musicians’ codex and Lapidary, it was often mixed with lead white and fillers like gypsum or calcium carbonate to improve opacity and mechanical performance (p. 286).

Evidence

"The pinks and purples identified in all the manuscripts have a colorant in common: brazilwood lake pigment. It was identified through its absorbance spectra, with a maximum of around 555 nm."

Remarks

This represents the first reported use of brazilwood lake pigment in European medieval manuscript illumination (Abstract). In the Rich codex, pure colors were preferred to create light/dark contrasts by controlling paint thickness on the parchment (p. 279). In contrast, the other codices utilize thick-layer paints with extensive mixtures and additives (p. 280).