Ultramarine blue, Indigo
Iran
9th Century
Source: Holakooei, P., de Lapérouse, J. F., Rugiadi, M., & Carò, F. (2018). Early Islamic pigments at Nishapur, north-eastern Iran: studies on the painted fragments preserved at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 10(1), 175-195.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
lapis lazuli, indigo, carbon black, slaked lime
Preparation Steps
Blue indigo was sometimes mixed with carbon black and slaked lime to create a dark blue paint, as suggested by the 11th-century treatise of Tabari (p. 191). Ultramarine was likely imported from Badakhshan (p. 191).
Original Recipe Text
Blue indigo was sometimes mixed with carbon black and slaked lime to create a dark blue paint, as suggested by the 11th-century treatise of Tabari (p. 191). Ultramarine was likely imported from Badakhshan (p. 191).
Evidence
"Two main blue pigments were identified... blue ultramarine... blue indigo (p. 191)."
Remarks
Traces of Mg in the ultramarine composition suggest its origin in Badakhshan (p. 191). Indigo mixed with orpiment was often used in Iran to create green paint (zangar-i amali), though at Nishapur indigo was found alone or with carbon black (p. 191).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionNa6–10Al6Si6O24S2–4; C16H10N2O2
Analytical Techniques
Raman
XRF
optical reflectance spectroscopy
scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorBlue
RegionIran
Approx. Year850
Source Information
AuthorHolakooei, P., de Lapérouse, J. F., Rugiadi, M., & Carò, F.
CollectionBadakhshan, Afghanistan (for Lapis)
Language
N/A
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