WʾRŠʾ, golden orpiment, scissile alum, dried pomegranate, earth from Samos, saffron

Ingredients

WʾRŠʾ (yellow dye plant), bile of a tortoise, golden orpiment, scissile alum, inner part of dried pomegranate peel, earth from Samos, saffron, white of 5 eggs, water of gum, reddish wine

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Take 1 part each of: WʾRŠʾ (yellow dye plant), tortoise bile, golden orpiment, scissile alum, inner pomegranate peel, Samos earth, and saffron. Mix with the whites of 5 eggs and reduce to a paste. To paint, mix with gum water or reddish wine (p. 94).

Evidence

"WʾRŠʾ (a yellow dye plant), bile of a tortoise, golden orpiment (= Gr. ἀρσενικόν), scissile alum, inner part of the skin/peel of dried pomegranates, earth from Samos, saffron; for each of these (ingredients) take 1 part, and the white of 5 eggs, and reduce them to a paste."

Remarks

Recipe R7 is used for writing on paper, glass, and marble without the use of actual gold metal. It relies on a combination of vegetal, mineral, and animal ingredients to simulate the appearance of gold (p. 94).