Indian yellow

Ingredients

Indian yellow

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Indian yellow was used specifically by the late 16th century Mughal painter of the Shāhnāma manuscript RAS 239. It was applied on a large scale to paint backgrounds, distinguishable by obvious visual differences from other yellow pigments like orpiment (p. 259).

Evidence

"But the most interesting point of this paintings is usage of Indian yellow, which has not been used by any of the other Indian painters or Shiraz and Herat painters. In this paintings Indian yellow has used on a large scale to paint the background."

Remarks

The use of Indian yellow and yellow dye in the Mughal court appears to have been common during the late 16th century in India (p. 260). Its presence is a distinguishing feature of the Mughal paintings compared to other regional Indian painters or those from Shiraz and Herat (p. 259).