iron-gall ink

Ingredients

iron-gall

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The ink is applied in delicate strokes over the main color for facial features such as eyelashes or outlines. In the Rich and Musicians’ codices, hands were outlined with iron-gall ink with high delicacy (p. 292). In the Book of Games, iron-gall was one of two materials used for hand outlines (p. 292).

Evidence

"In both manuscripts, one of the illuminators paints with delicate strokes of iron-gall ink over the main color; ... the hands appear to have been created by one of the illuminators, where the lines were obtained with iron-gall ink"

Remarks

Iron-gall ink was specifically identified through Raman analysis in the bird of folio 49r of the Lapidary (p. 296). It is used for fine details and outlines of features, often layered over paint layers (p. 292).