gold and red pigments

Ingredients

gold, red pigments

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

In Figure 3.10, the red hue is used in conjunction with swirling golden clouds to provide a symbolic representation of the divine presence (p. 43). The author notes that red pigments are utilized to evoke 'heat' and motion to represent a formless deity (p. 43). In other scenes, the body of Buraq is frequently painted in 'coral red' (p. 40, 47, 49).

Evidence

"God, formless and imperceptible, nevertheless is present in the picture as a sensate and palpable entity, conveyed by the motion and ‐heat‐ produced by the gold and red pigments."

Remarks

The use of red in these paintings is associated with divine power, wrath, and energy (p. 41). Red is used to depict the struggle of the damned and the wrath of God in funerary/eschatological scenes like Figure 3.8 (p. 41). In Figure 3.19, a red garment is used to symbolize the temptation of love and desire (p. 54). For the figure of Gabriel, red robes are used to trigger associations with energy and strength (p. 51).