orpiment
Mediterranean
3th Century
Source: Paula De Vos, "Apothecaries, Artists, and Artisans: Early Industrial Material Culture in the Biological Old Regime", The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Winter 2015), pp. 277-336.
Recipe Details
Preparation Steps
Orpiment is classified as a top mineral pigment used in the decorative arts of late antiquity and the early middle ages (p. 292). According to Table 5, orpiment was mentioned in 37 recipes across all three major source texts surveyed: the Leyden Papyrus, the Stockholm Papyrus, and the Mappae Clavicula (p. 299).
Original Recipe Text
Orpiment is classified as a top mineral pigment used in the decorative arts of late antiquity and the early middle ages (p. 292). According to Table 5, orpiment was mentioned in 37 recipes across all three major source texts surveyed: the Leyden Papyrus, the Stockholm Papyrus, and the Mappae Clavicula (p. 299).
Evidence
"the top materials were metals and metal ores... and such pigments as cinnabar, orpiment, sandarach, litharge, misy, ceruse, and verdigris"
Remarks
Like cinnabar, orpiment represents the overlap between the pharmacy and the workshop. It was known both as a 'simple' in medical texts like Dioscorides' De Materia Medica and as a staple ingredient for painters and illuminators (p. 287, 292). Its frequent occurrence in the recipes surveyed confirms its status as a fundamental material in the pre-industrial world (p. 292).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionAs2S3
Analytical Techniques
historical textual survey
tabulation of ingredients
Certainty Level
Probable
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorYellow
RegionMediterranean
Approx. Year250
Source Information
TitleApothecaries, Artists, and Artisans: Early Industrial Material Culture in the Biological Old Regime
AuthorPaula De Vos, "Apothecaries, Artists, and Artisans: Early Industrial Material Culture in the Biological Old Regime", The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 45, No. 3
CollectionAlexandria
Language
N/A
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