copper-based green pigment

Ingredients

copper

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The copper-based green was used specifically for robes and flags on folios 69, 148, and 273 (p. 155). This differs from other greens in the same manuscript, such as the mixture of indigo and orpiment used for grass and foliage, or the indigo and yellow dye (possibly saffron) mixture used for shrubs on folio 33 (p. 155).

Evidence

"But the copper green that has been used to paint clothes is a kind of deep bluish green, which in all cases spotted on folios 69, 148 has been damaged to some extent (Tab 5-25). The damages appear in the form of blurring or shedding of the paint at some points... and the specific properties of the copper in this paint, which in some cases has also caused corrosion of the paper (Fig. 5-60)."

Remarks

The copper pigment is noted for its corrosive effect on the paper substrate and its tendency to blur or shed, possibly exacerbated by improper clamps (p. 155). Overall, the materials in Or 420 are described as being of lower quality compared to other Shiraz or Herat manuscripts (p. 164).