gold
Egypt
13th Century
Source: Nancy K. Turner, "Surface Effect and Substance: Precious Metals in Illuminated Manuscripts," in Manuscript in the Making: Art and Science, ed. Stella Panayotova and Paola Ricciardi (London: Harvey Miller, 2018), 2:80–96.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
gold
Evidence
"a thirteenth-century Arabic treatise on minting (Kashf al-asrār al-ȅilmħya bidār al-darb al-Misrħya... ca. 1218–38 CE... which reports that gold was used since antiquity as an ophthalmic drug to improve vision."
Remarks
The treatise emphasizes gold's material identification with the immaterial and transparent, and its role in the metaphysics of light (p. 54). It also notes the use of gold as a drug for vision (ophthalmic), suggesting its value went beyond decoration to physical efficacy.
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionAu
Analytical Techniques
treatise review
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
ColorGold
RegionEgypt
Approx. Year1250
Source Information
AuthorNancy K. Turner, "Surface Effect and Substance: Precious Metals in Illuminated Manuscripts," in Manuscript in the Making: Art and Science, ed. Stella Panayotova and Paola Ricciardi
CollectionKashf al-asrar al-ilmiya bidar al-darb al-Misriya
Language
N/A
AI Suggestions
Find similar recipes based on ingredients and preparation methods.