Atacamite, Covellite
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
copper filings, vinegar, sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride)
Preparation Steps
Medieval Persian treatises describe the production of atacamite by soaking copper filings in vinegar and adding sal ammoniac (NH4Cl) in a closed jar, which yields atacamite as the sole green pigment (p. 192). Alternatively, it may have been an already-corroded copper object imported from a littoral zone (p. 192).
Original Recipe Text
Medieval Persian treatises describe the production of atacamite by soaking copper filings in vinegar and adding sal ammoniac (NH4Cl) in a closed jar, which yields atacamite as the sole green pigment (p. 192). Alternatively, it may have been an already-corroded copper object imported from a littoral zone (p. 192).
Evidence
"This suggested that green atacamite (Cu2Cl(OH)3), or other copper tri-hydroxychlorides, was used as a green pigment (p. 191)."
Remarks
Green paint was only observed on fragment no. 1 (p. 191). SEM observations revealed vast colonies of microbial deposits (coccus, filamentous, and spirochete bacteria) on the green pigment (p. 192). Traces of As, P, and V were also detected, possibly from associated minerals like mimetite or pyromorphite (p. 192).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionCu2Cl(OH)3; CuS
Analytical Techniques
XRF
Raman
XRD
optical reflectance spectroscopy
scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorGreen
RegionIran
Approx. Year850
Source Information
AuthorHolakooei, P., de Lapérouse, J. F., Rugiadi, M., & Carò, F.
Collectionlittoral zone; Nishapur
Language
N/A
AI Suggestions
Find similar recipes based on ingredients and preparation methods.