soot

Ingredients

soot, vitriol, extract of gallnut, gum arabic, water

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The recipe for 'compound ink' (p. 23) involves the integration of soot into a 'traditional ink made of iron-gallic'. The tradition base is described as consisting of vitriol, an extract of gallnut, gum arabic, and water. The innovation of adding soot was specifically 'inspired by Chinese ink' (p. 23).

Evidence

"The accomplishments of this century also included the creation of compound ink by the addition of soot–inspired by Chinese ink–to the traditional ink made of iron-gallic, which consisted of vitriol, extract of gallnut, gum arabic and water."

Remarks

The transition to compound ink in the 4th/10th century is noted as a significant cultural-historic achievement, mirroring the court life of the Umayyads and Abbasids and their cultivated urban society (p. 23). This specific formulation, combining the carbon-based soot with the iron-tannate complex of traditional gall ink, was documented through modern chemical analysis and reconstruction experiments conducted by Armin Schopen (p. 23, footnote 141).