iron gall ink
Syria
16th Century
Source: Claudia Colini, "Ink Making by the Book: Learning a Craft in the Arabic World", in: Claudia Colini, pp. 117-126.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
al-ʿafṣ al-aḫḍar, al-zāǧ al-qubruṣī, nīl hindī, zanǧār ʿirāqī, milḥ andurānī, zaʿfarān, šabb, ṣamġ ʿarabī, ṣabr suquṭrī, māʾ
Preparation Steps
The recipe is presented in a schematic layout on fol. 18v of MS Pm II 30. It includes green gallnuts (al-ʿafṣ al-aḫḍar), Cypriot vitriol (al-zāǧ al-qubruṣī), Indian indigo (nīl hindī), Iraqi verdigris (zanǧār ʿirāqī), salt (milḥ andurānī), saffron (zaʿfarān), alum (šabb), gum Arabic (ṣamġ ʿarabī), and Socotrine aloes (ṣabr suquṭrī). Proportions are indicated in dirhams and awqiyas (Fig. 7, p. 126).
Original Recipe Text
The recipe is presented in a schematic layout on fol. 18v of MS Pm II 30. It includes green gallnuts (al-ʿafṣ al-aḫḍar), Cypriot vitriol (al-zāǧ al-qubruṣī), Indian indigo (nīl hindī), Iraqi verdigris (zanǧār ʿirāqī), salt (milḥ andurānī), saffron (zaʿfarān), alum (šabb), gum Arabic (ṣamġ ʿarabī), and Socotrine aloes (ṣabr suquṭrī). Proportions are indicated in dirhams and awqiyas (Fig. 7, p. 126).
Evidence
"Recipe for an iron gall ink with a schematic layout added at the end of a treatise written by the same copyist; Berlin, Staatsbibliothek, Petermann II 30 (Pm II 30), fol. 18v"
Remarks
The recipe was added by the same hand that wrote the main treatise on the art of writing, Lamḥat al-muḫtaṭif fī ṣināʿat al-ḫaṭṭ al-ṣalif (p. 117, 126).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionFeSO4
Analytical Techniques
Visual inspection
Textual analysis
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
Binderṣamġ ʿarabī
ColorBlack
RegionSyria
Approx. Year1550
Source Information
AuthorClaudia Colini, "Ink Making by the Book: Learning a Craft in the Arabic World", in: Claudia Colini, pp. 117-126.
CollectionBerlin, Staatsbibliothek, Petermann II 30 (Pm II 30)
Language
N/A
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