gold leaf
Syria
16th Century
Source: Martelli, M. (2021). 'Alchemical' Inks in the Syriac Tradition. In Ink and Manuscript Culture. Brill.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
gold leaf, gum arabic, water
Preparation Steps
Solution of gold (Ar. hall al-dahab): Take a porcelain bowl or a stone cutting board (saliyah). Gum arabic is scratched until it becomes like honey. Rub the bowl with it. A leaf of gold is flattened on it and it is crushed with the gum until it gets thinner (p. 82). Marginalia notes specify the making of gold 'water' for writing (p. 82).
Original Recipe Text
Solution of gold (Ar. hall al-dahab): Take a porcelain bowl or a stone cutting board (saliyah). Gum arabic is scratched until it becomes like honey. Rub the bowl with it. A leaf of gold is flattened on it and it is crushed with the gum until it gets thinner (p. 82). Marginalia notes specify the making of gold 'water' for writing (p. 82).
Evidence
"Take a porcelain bowl or a stone cutting board. Gum arabic is scratched until it becomes like honey. Rub the bowl with it. A leaf of gold is flattened on it and it is crushed with the gum until it gets thinner. Write with it. (p. 82)"
Remarks
The recipe explains how to liquefy a gold leaf in gum arabic (p. 81). The text is noted as being difficult to interpret in various passages, appearing in a garshuni section of the manuscript (p. 81-82). The term 'saliyah' refers to a stone used for bruising or powdering substances (p. 82).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionAu
Analytical Techniques
philological analysis
recipe reconstruction
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
BinderAcacia gum
Paper TypeSyriac alchemical manuscript
ColorGold
RegionSyria
Approx. Year1550
Source Information
AuthorMartelli, M.
CollectionMS British Library, Egerton 709
Language
N/A
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