cinnabar, red lead, cochineal, ultramarine, white lead, Indian lac, indigo, copper green, orpiment, gold, silver

Ingredients

cinnabar, red lead, cochineal, ultramarine, white lead, Indian lac, indigo, copper green, orpiment, gold, silver, black carbon

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Painter B created red and orange using cinnabar and red lead. Cochineal was used specifically for blood stains (p. 207). Blue tones were exclusively ultramarine-based, mixed with varying white lead (p. 207). For pink, red lead + white lead or Indian lac + white lead were used. Purple/violet was Indian lac + white lead, sometimes with indigo + red lead (p. 207). Dark purple was a composition of ultramarine + red lead and ultramarine + Indian lac (p. 207). Light greens were copper green + white lead, while dark green for foliage was orpiment + indigo (p. 207). Metallic gold was used for backgrounds, and silver for armor, swords, and water (p. 207). Light grey was made from indigo + ultramarine + white lead (p. 207).

Evidence

"Painter B many times has used cinnabar and red lead pigments to create red and orange colour... only in one case in folio 270 he used cochineal to colouring stain blood... to create light blue to dark blue only ultramarine is used, which is combined with different amounts of white lead... to create pink and light pink... red lead + white lead and Indian lac + white lead has been used."

Remarks

Painter B, the main painter of RAS 239, demonstrated a wide range of ultramarine tonalities, suggesting better access to this pigment than other painters (p. 207). He avoided red ocher for browns, relying on cinnabar and red lead mixtures (p. 207).