orpyment
England
15th Century
Source: Bahr, Arthur, and Alexandra Gillespie. 'Middle English Medical Recipes and Literary Play.' In The Idea of the Remedy Collection, 108-127.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
holmen barkes, vnslekked lyne orpyment, welle water
Preparation Steps
A recipe for hair removal ('To don her to go awey') found in York Minster, MS XVI.E.32, f. 17v. The instructions are: 'Tak and mak leyӡe of otestraw askes and wasche þe hed þerwiþ ofte. Anoþer for contrarious heere take þe iuys of yuyleues and when þe heer is pulled away anoynte the stede þerwiþ // Anoþer tak þe askes of holmen barkes and vnslekked lyne orpyment and welle water and do þer on' (p. 124). Another variation includes 'amtys eroun' (pupae of ants), 'blode of a remows' (bat blood), 'gumme of yuy orpyment', and 'aysel' (vinegar) (p. 124).
Original Recipe Text
A recipe for hair removal ('To don her to go awey') found in York Minster, MS XVI.E.32, f. 17v. The instructions are: 'Tak and mak leyӡe of otestraw askes and wasche þe hed þerwiþ ofte. Anoþer for contrarious heere take þe iuys of yuyleues and when þe heer is pulled away anoynte the stede þerwiþ // Anoþer tak þe askes of holmen barkes and vnslekked lyne orpyment and welle water and do þer on' (p. 124). Another variation includes 'amtys eroun' (pupae of ants), 'blode of a remows' (bat blood), 'gumme of yuy orpyment', and 'aysel' (vinegar) (p. 124).
Evidence
"Anoþer tak þe askes of holmen barkes and vnslekked lyne orpyment and welle water and do þer on"
Remarks
The ingredient is specifically identified as 'orpiment = arsenic trisulphide' in the author's glossary on page 126. The text notes that this specific accumulation of recipes is typical for late medieval medical collections where multiple remedies for the same affliction are accrued paratactically (p. 126). The recipe is described in the manuscript as 'good but it is violent' (p. 124).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical Compositionarsenic trisulphide
Analytical Techniques
codicological analysis
glossary reference
Certainty Level
Probable
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorRed
RegionEngland
Approx. Year1450
Source Information
AuthorBahr, Arthur, and Alexandra Gillespie. 'Middle English Medical Recipes and Literary Play.' In The Idea of the Remedy Collection, 108-127.
CollectionYork Minster, MS XVI.E.32
Language
N/A
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