silīqūn (minium)
Yemen
13th Century
Source: Sara Fani, "The Literary Dimension and Life of Arabic Treatises on Ink Making," in Tracing Knowledge: 21st-Century Approaches to the Arabic Book, edited by Fuat Sezgin et al. (Leiden: Brill, 2021), 105-125.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
silīqūn (minium), būraq (borax), ṣamġ (gum arabic), māʾ al-ʿafṣ (solution of gall-nut)
Preparation Steps
The recipe (MM II.18) for pink ink requires taking one ūqiyya of minium (silīqūn). The minium is crushed thoroughly on a stone slab. To this, one dirham-weight of borax (būraq) and two dirhams of gum arabic (ṣamġ) are added. The mixture is kneaded until it achieves a fine consistency while being soaked. Finally, it is combined with a solution of gall-nuts (māʾ al-ʿafṣ). The final product is used for writing. (p. 117-118)
Original Recipe Text
The recipe (MM II.18) for pink ink requires taking one ūqiyya of minium (silīqūn). The minium is crushed thoroughly on a stone slab. To this, one dirham-weight of borax (būraq) and two dirhams of gum arabic (ṣamġ) are added. The mixture is kneaded until it achieves a fine consistency while being soaked. Finally, it is combined with a solution of gall-nuts (māʾ al-ʿafṣ). The final product is used for writing. (p. 117-118)
Evidence
"Title (MM II.18) صيفة حبر وردي Description of a pink ink... It is taken an ūqiyya of minium and is crushed on a slab of stone and it is added the weight of a dirham of borax and two dirhams of gum arabic and it is kneaded until it becomes fine while it is soaked with a solution of gall-nut and it is written with it"
Remarks
This recipe is found in the treatise Al-muḫtaraʿ fī funūn min al-ṣunaʿ by the Rasulid sultan al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Yūsuf al-Ġassānī. It demonstrates the use of mineral pigments (minium) combined with traditional iron-gall ink components (gall-nut solution) to create colored inks. The use of borax as an additive is noted. (p. 117)
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionPb3O4
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
BinderAcacia gum
ColorPink
RegionYemen
Approx. Year1250
Source Information
AuthorSara Fani, "The Literary Dimension and Life of Arabic Treatises on Ink Making," in Tracing Knowledge: 21st-Century Approaches to the Arabic Book, edited by Fuat Sezgin et al.
CollectionAl-muḫtaraʿ fī funūn min al-ṣunaʿ
Language
N/A
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