smoke black

Ingredients

soot, vegetable materials, oils, resins, gum arabic

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Carbon inks were made from soot obtained from the combustion of vegetable materials, oils, or resins. This was added to a glucid ligand, generally gum arabic (p. 77).

Evidence

"Results obtained with Raman spectroscopy indicate, in addition, a black ink composition based on smoke black... with this technique belonging to Ms. 3, 15 and 20 (vegetable coal, bands at 1325 cm-1 and 1580 cm-1)."

Remarks

This kind of ink is chemically stable and its colour endures with the passing of time (p. 78). In manuscript 8, orpiment was added to black ink to make the colour warmer (p. 89).