Vermilion

Ingredients

cinnabar ore, weak acid, water, Arabic gum, mercury, sulfur, bran, goat hair

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

To make red vermilion, cinnabar ore is first pulverized and then it is rinsed with a weak acid. After the initial rinse with weak acid, the resulting powder will be washed with water two or three times to completely remove the mud and impurities. Finally, wait until the color powder is precipitated and water over it is poured away. After drying pigments, the Arabic gum is added to it little by little until it is ready to use (p. 12-13). For synthetic production: heating an equal amount of mixture of mercury and sulfur, along with bran and goat hair (p. 13).

Evidence

"The result of this study was the extraction, preparation and remaking of seven main mineral colors in Persian painting."

Remarks

Vermilion stone is soft and easy to pulverize. It is produced in an industrial way and found in crystalline form in nature. It was widely used in Roman murals and Persian monuments such as Parthian and Sassanid murals (p. 12). Synthesized vermilion was produced as early as the fourth century AD (p. 12).