Cinnabar, Arsenic, Verdigris, Lapis lazuli

Ingredients

gum arabic, Cinnabar, Arsenic, Verdigris, gold water, honey, silver, copper, lead, vitriol

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The preparation of metallic inks (liyaq) is described in Chapter 23 of the ʿUyūn al-ḥaqāʾiq. The base preparation involves the use of gum arabic (Recipe 1, p. 189). Specific recipes include Cinnabar ink (Recipe 2), Arsenic ink (Recipes 3 and 4), and Verdigris ink (Recipe 6). A green ink preparation (Recipe 5) involves the addition of 'gold water' in specific manuscript witnesses (p. 189). More complex metallurgical processes are detailed in the latter half of the chapter, including the 'melting of gold' (Recipe 29), the 'melting of all the metals' (Recipe 30), and the 'preparation of an adhesive for gold' (Recipe 31, p. 190). Metallic ink preparations also exist for silver, copper, and lead (Recipe 27, p. 190).

Evidence

"Table 8.1 Metallic inks (liyaq)"

Remarks

The 'liyaq' inks represent a sophisticated tradition of 'coloured metallic preparations that can be used to write or paint' (p. 187). These recipes are cross-referenced across eight major manuscript witnesses: P (ff. 94r–99r), B (ff. 52v–54r), D (ff. 52r–54r), T (pp. 84–82), K (ff. 52r–53v), L (ff. 74v–76r), C (pp. 38–40), and La (ff. 23r–24v) (p. 189). The presence of diverse colors such as 'Pistachio ink' (Recipe 7) and 'Turtle-dove ink' (Recipe 11) indicates a broad palette for high-status manuscript illumination (p. 189).