coloured inks

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The text mentions the existence of 'added recipes in the margins' (p. 20) within five medieval treatises on ink making. While the specific chemical ingredients of these marginal recipes are not detailed in this introductory chapter, their presence indicates a pedagogical and practical transmission of the craft of ink making in the Arabic world (p. 20).

Evidence

"Only very few have evidence for practical use: added recipes in the margins, or some greenish fingerprints in the section of the book dealing with coloured inks."

Remarks

In the study of five medieval treatises on ink making by Claudia Colini, evidence of practical usage was identified in the form of 'greenish fingerprints' and 'added recipes in the margins' (p. 20). These material traces suggest that the manuscripts served as functional manuals in workshops or educational settings. The presence of fingerprints specifically in the section of the book dealing with coloured inks implies that the manuscripts were physically present and consulted during the ink production process (p. 20). This finding challenges the view of manuscripts as purely theoretical texts and highlights their role in the materialised context of learning a craft (p. 20).