Iraqi white lead (isfīdāǧ ʿirāqī)

Iraq
13th Century
Source: Raggetti, L. (2021). Ordinary Inks and Incredible Tricks in al-ʿIrāqī’s ʿUyūn al-ḥaqāʾiq. In Alchemy in the Making (pp. 154-173). Brill.
Recipe Details

Evidence

"If yellow arsenic (orpiment) is not available, grind Iraqi white lead, pour freshly plucked saffron and gum water over it"

Remarks

White lead of Iraqi origin is specified as a standard component for various colored inks, including White ink (Recipe [8], p. 169) and Rosy ink (Recipe [12], p. 171). It is also used as a base for Turquoise (Recipe [20], p. 172) and Ashen (Recipe [18], p. 172) inks.

Scientific Analysis
Chemical Composition2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2
Analytical Techniques
philological experiment
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorWhite
RegionIraq
Approx. Year1250
Source Information
TitleOrdinary Inks and Incredible Tricks in al-ʿIrāqī’s ʿUyūn al-ḥaqāʾiq
AuthorRaggetti, L.
CollectionIraqi
Language
N/A
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