The collected works of the Alexis, or The Secrets of the reuerend Maister Alexis of Piemont.

The secrets of the reverend Maister Alexis of Piemont : containing excellent remedies against diverse diseases, wounds, and other accidents, with the maner to make distillations, parfumes, confitures, dying, colours, fusions, and meltings ... by Girolamo Ruscelli; Translated by William Ward, The fourth part is Translated out of Italian into English by Richard Androse, Published 1595

This is the first edition containing all the four parts and each has a separate t.p. The first editions and text versions (copy/paste) are available at EEBO, Early English Books Online (restricted access).

Includes:
1558 The secretes of the reuerend Maister Alexis of Piemount 
1560 The seconde part of the secretes of Master Alexis of Piemont
1562 The Thyrde and last parte of the Secretes of the Reuerende Maister Alexis of Piemont
1569 A Verye Excellent and Profitable Booke

Read and download your copy at:
https://archive.org/details/secretsofreveren00rusc
https://ia800803.us.archive.org/24/items/secretsofreveren00rusc/secretsofreveren00rusc.pdf

15th century Ink recipes by Jehan le Begue.

By Mrs. Merrifield: "In the year 1431, Jehan le Begue, a licentiate in the law and Notary of the Masters of the Mint at Paris, being then in the sixty-third year of his age, composed, or rather compiled, the following manuscript, from a collection of works on painting made by one Jehan Alcherius, or Alcerius. The motive that induced Jehan le Begue to undertake the work does not appear. He himself tells us that he was unaccustomed to such writing; and the numerous mistakes throughout the manuscript prove that he told the truth. But, whatever might have been his inducements, the zeal with which he undertook the work, and the manner in which he executed his task, show his attachment to the arts, and his desire to obtain information on all subjects connected with it.

His authorities seem to have been the works collected by Alcherius, and the Catholicon, which was then in manuscript, and which was not printed until twenty-nine years after Jehan le Begue completed his work. Of the early life and profession of Jehan Alcherius, or Archerius, the manuscript gives no indications. It does not actually appear that he was a painter, but his attachment to the art is unquestionable, or he would not have taken the pains he did to become acquainted with the technical processes, and to write clown so many recipes from the dictation of others. In all that related to the art he was superior to Jehan le Begue ; he also possessed the additional advantage of understanding
Italian, which he acquired in Italy during his occasional visits to that country.

The earliest biographical notice of Alcherius is dated March, 1382, at which time he left Milan for Paris, taking with him a recipe for making writing-ink, which had been given to him by Alberto Porzello, "who was most perfect in all kinds of writing and forms of letters, and who, while he lived, kept a school at Milan, and taught boys and young men to write." In 1398 Alcherius was at Paris. On the 28th of July, in that year, he wrote his treatise ' De Coloribus diversis modis tractatur,' from the dictation of Jacob Cona, a Flemish painter, then living at Paris. This treatise relates chiefly to miniature painting, and its usual accompaniment gilding. On the 8th of August follow ing he wrote another short treatise, which also relates to the same subject, entitled ' De diversis Coloribus,' from the dictation of Antonio di Compendio, "an illuminator of books, and an old man," who had tried all
the recipes himself. Nothing more is known of him from that time until the month of March, 1409, when it appears he was again at Milan, where he copied the recipes at the commencement of the work as far as No. 88, from a book lent to him by Fra Dionisio, a Servite, or, as it is expressed in the manuscript, " of the order of the Servants of St. Mary, which order in Milan is called 'Del Sacho.'"

Ink recipes from (the first 50 or so entries have to do with illumination):
Experimenta de coloribus by Jehan le Begue, based on earlier work by Jehan Alcherius, 1431.
Part of Volume 1 of Mrs. Merrifield's Original Treatises, Dating from the XIIth to the XVIIIth Centuries, [o]n the Arts of Painting (p. 320).

1. Know that gold letters are thus written with the following water. Take of sulphur vivum, of the inner bark of the pomegranate, of alum, salt, and gold dust (?), as much as you like, and liquid gum water and a little saffron. Mix, and write.

2. To erase black letters upon paper. —Make a water from the following things. Take nitre, and Roman vitriol, of each one pound, and distil them in an alembic, and a clear water will
be produced ; with this water slightly moisten a sponge, and rub the letters with it.

21. To erase letters on parchment without injury to the paper. —Take a hare's skin and dress it, and salt it down, afterwards dry it over the smoke of a fire, and reduce it to powder ; put some of this powder upon the letters which you wish to erase, and rub them with pumice-stone, and the letters will be erased without injury to the paper.

27. To erase letters from parchment.—Take the juice of an orange and dip cotton or sponge in it, and rub it lightly upon the letters, and it will erase them perfectly. But as the parchment will be wetted and made soft, it must be rendered dry and white in the following manner :—Take white lime in
powder and mix it with clear water, and afterwards strain through a piece of white linen, dip cotton in the water which has been strained and dab it upon the parchment where it is soft, and it will become white and firm. I think it would be better to dip the cotton in dry lime, and not to wet it.

28. To make a green ink for writing.—Take of good vinegar oz. ij., sal ammoniac oz. ij., common salt oz. ij., brass filings oz. ij., put them all together in a glass flask for six days, and it will make a green ink, which you must strain and keep for use.

29. To make excellent azure.—Take of sal ammoniac oz. iij., and of verdigris oz. vi., mix them together and make them into a paste with solution of tartar, and put them into a glass jar,
which you must stop up, and lute, and place in warm dung, and let it stand there for some days, and when you take it up you will find the green changed to excellent azure.

30. For the same.—Take of alum scagliola one part, of vinegar two parts ; grind them together upon a slab, and make them boil a little in a glass or other vase, and put them into a glass flask and bury them in dung for five days or more, until you see it is become of a blue colour.

31. Good ink is thus made. —Take 1 1/2 lb of pounded galls, soak them in warm rain water, or warm wine or vinegar, of the quantity of 10 phials, and so let it stand for a day or more; then boil it until the said water, wine, or vinegar is reduced to one-third, and let it be taken off the fire and a phial or two
of wine or vinegar be immediately added, and let so much water be added as was boiled away from the said mixture, and let them all be put on the fire again. When the mixture be gins to boil let it be removed from the fire ; when it is only just warm strain it, and add to it 1 1/2 lb. of gum-arabic in
powder and 1 lb. of Roman vitriol, and mix the whole together.

33. Cement for joining parchment is thus made.—Take gum arabic and whipped white of egg, dissolve the gum in this white of egg and let it dry in the sun, and when you wish to use it wet the edge of the piece with your tongue and lips and apply it to the parchment where the pieces are to be joined, and let it dry in the shade, and the pieces will adhere firmly together. But if you wish to join paper only and not parchment, wheat-flour or powdered bread-crumbs mixed with pure water and slightly boiled is very good for paper. But if you mix a little gum-arabic or whipped white of egg with it, it will do for parchment.

34. If you wish to erase letters from paper, take roche alum, and grind it, and make it into a paste with the juice of an orange, and expose it to the wind, and let it dry ; afterwards rub it upon the letters, and it will erase them from the paper.

38. If you wish to remove oil from parchment or letters, take bones of chicken or capons, and burn them until they are white, and reduce them to powder. Lay some of this powder on the place where the oil is, and let it stand, in summer in the shade, and in the sun in winter. If necessary, repeat this two or three times. Lime also is good for this purpose.

47. To make good ink for writing, particularly for books. —Take 4 bottles of good wine, white or red, and 1 lb. of galls, slightly bruised, which must be put into the wine, and allowed to stand in it for 12 days, and be stirred every day with a stick. The twelfth day it must be strained through a strainer of fine linen, and must be poured into a clean jar, and put on the fire to get hot, until it almost boils. Then remove it from the fire, and when it has cooled so as only to be tepid, put into it 4 oz. of gum-arabic, which must be very bright and clear, and stir it with a stick, then add £ lb. of Roman vitriol, and stir it continually with the stick, until all things are well incorporated together, and let it cool and keep it for use. And note, that ink made with wine is good for writing books upon the sciences, because, when books are written with it, the letters do not fade, and can hardly be scraped out or discharged from parchment or paper. But if they are written with ink made with water, it is not so, for they can easily be scraped out, and it may happen that the letters written with it will fade.

4 bottles of wine, or water, or half of each.
1 pound of galls of xij. oz. to the pound
4 oz. of gum arabic.
6 oz. of Roman vitriol.
And if you took equal parts of each, galls, gum, and vitriol, as much of one as of the other, by weight, it would still be good ; as, for instance, 6 oz. of each, which would be sufficient for the said 4 lbs. of wine or water, or of wine and water mixed as before.

50. To write with black on gold or silver.—Take burnt lead and sulphur, distemper them together, and write on the gold or silver ; then heat it with fire, and the desired effect will be produced.

Mary Merrifield's "Original Treatises on the Arts of Painting", published in 1849
Free download of Volume 1:
https://books.google.com/books?id=2xgGAAAAQAAJ&dq=mrs+merrifield&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Free download of Volume 2:

https://books.google.com/books?id=44RAAAAAYAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Mary+Philadelphia+Merrifield%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Hugh Platt on Inke...

35 How to write both blew and redde letters at once, with one selfe-same Inke and pen, and upon the same paper.

Put the quantitie of Hasell nut of Lytmas blewe to three spoonfuls of conduit water, wherin some Gumme Arabicke is dissolved, and when it hath setled the space of one hower, if you write therewith you shall have perfect blewe letters, and if you dip a pencill in the juice of Lymmons, that is drained from his residence, and do wet some part of the paper therwith, and after let your paper drie againe, and then write upon the place where the iuice of the Lymmon was laid, with your former blew inke, the letters will suddenlie become red, and in all the rest of the paper the letters will be blew. And so you may also make partie letters and other fansies, if you wet your paper accordinglie. Sapius probatum. [p.38]

36 To keepe Inke from freezing and moulding.

Put a few drops of Aqua vita therein, and then it wil not freeze in the hardest Winter than can happen, and in Sommer time if you put salt therein it will not waxe moldie as I have been crediblie informed. [p.38]

39 A Gall water very necessarie to mingle with your Inke, as it groweth thick in your standish or inkhorne.

Slice or beat some of the best Galles, and put them in a glass of faire water, and when the have given some reasonable tincture to the water, you may mix the same with your inke as it thickneth: this is a more kindlie waie, then to use either faire water, beere or vineger instead thereof.But when the water beginnieth to be over olde and out of date, you must then throw away the same and make fresh. [p.43]

40 How to remove olde letters, that be almost worn out of sight.

This is performed by rubbing them over carefully with the gall water aforesaid being wel prepared, for that will strike afresh hew again into the old and outworne Coppres. These two secrets I learned verie lately of a skilful & well conceipted gentleman, who hath made some practises thereof himselfe, and the first I can warrant by mine owne triall. [p.43]

42 How to paint or limne with the colours that are taken from hearbs or flowers.

Some drie the leaves of hearbes or flowers, which carrie any deep colour in them, and if there be severall colours upon one leafe, they devide them, and keep each colour by itself, grinding the same upon a Marble, and after keepe it in close glasses or leaded pots, sufficiently defended from the aire. If you grind the leaves of a white rose with a little Allome, it will give a yellow colour, and so will the purple part of the leave of the flower deluce, ground with a little lime, yeeld a good and perfect greene. Some expresse the iuice of herbs or flowers, and then evaporat either in balneo or in the sun so much as wil ascent, spreding y' self [velt?] thinly upo' the bottoms & sides of small dishes, & after, then set y' same in the sun to dry, & then grind with gumme water as they have cause to use it. Some  infuse the moist, and some the drie leafe, with faire water, and so soone as the beautiful hew of the leaves begin the vade, they dreine away the water, and make an addition of fresh leaves ther'unto, and so change their leaves often, that they may purchase to the inselves nothing else but the livelie and brigth tincture of everie hearbe or flower. Those two colours of the Rose, & Flower-deluse I learned of master Bateman sometime the parson of Newington a most excellent lymner.

45 To make bad paper to beare ynke in some reasonable manner.

Rub your paper wel over with the fine powder or dust of Rosen and Sandtach mingled in equall parts before you write therwith. Note that you must tie the powder hard in a rag of Laune or thin Cambrick, and therewith rub the paper throughly well, This is a necessarie secret for students, whereby they may note in the mergentes of their bookes if the paper should happen to sinke, which is an especiall fault in many of our late yeere bookes of the Law.


The Jewell House of Art and Nature, conteining diverse rare and profitable Inventions, together with sundry new experimentes in the Art of Husbandry, Distillation, and Moulding. By Hugh Platte. London: Peter Short, 1597.

Make your own period art supply!

Affordable, but oh-so-easy to make yourself, charcoal drawing sticks might very well have been one of the first art supplies available to man. As all that is needed to make some is a low oxygen burn, and as we have seen time and again with our son, it only takes a kid playing near a cooking fire and another graffiti artist is born!

The science behind making charcoal, or charring, is interesting yet surprisingly simple,  and revolves around oxygen. Charcoal is formed by the incomplete burn, or combustion, of wood. Composed of mostly cellulose (CH₂O), wood does not burn immediately; first it releases steam (H₂O) and turns from white to black. It chars, thus becoming charcoal (C, or the element carbon, with trace minerals). When charcoal burns in contact with air, carbon combines with oxygen to form the gas carbon dioxide (C + O₂ => CO₂) and lots of heat. The white ash leftover from burning charcoal is what remains of the small amount of non-flammable minerals which were present in the wood from the start (and can be used to make lye).

When wood is burned without oxygen (this is called anaerobic), it turns black as the water is evaporated out and charcoal is left behind. If access to air is limited and heat is removed, the charcoal will become stable and available for future use. Charcoal takes up less space and is able reach a higher temperatures with the addition of extra air (bellows) than a pile of wood, which makes it ideal for use in a smithy’s furnace. To make proper charcoal an anaerobic burn is necessary, and in history people have found different ways of doing so, mostly by either digging in wood in hill sides or covering wood with a burn resistant material (like a metal kettle) while building a large fire right over it.

Previously used and new paint cans ready for heating.

All kinds of woody twigs can be made into charcoal and by varying the types of trees the twigs come from you can make sticks of varying densities and hardness. To make the type of charcoal sold in art stores, traditionally grape vine or willow twigs are used. Add a small charcoal kiln, and a nice big bonfire, and voila! charcoal sticks!

Any kind of metal can with a tight fitting lid can be used as a charcoal kiln. I prefer to use a new paint can from a home improvement store as it has lots of room, a handle, and minimal chemical residue. It does have a liner and same as with yard sale tins it is a good idea to dry burn it first, not only to remove any leftover residue but also to see if the tin is strong enough to survive the temperatures of a good fire without melting or warping! Lastly, your kiln needs an air hole – a vent – in the lid; a finishing nail hammered through the center works perfectly.

Bonfire ready to go, kiln steadily venting steam.

Next up is the hunt for some good sticks and twigs. Keep in mind that charcoal shrinks significantly so don’t get real skinny ones. Wild grapes are easily found along roadsides and forest edges; willow likes to grow in ditches and near water. The bark can be removed beforehand, or left on to be removed later as needed. Fill the kiln as full as you can, making them as long as you can while still being able to close the lid. Hammer the lid on well, its purpose is to keep oxygen from entering the kiln chamber. It’s fine to mix types of wood and various diameters, and that way you’ll get a nice mix of drawing sticks to play with too!

Combustible gasses are being burnt off.

And now it’s time to play with fire. Make a good wood fire with lots of coal and with a long stick place your cans in or near the fire. Depending on the amount of water in the wood. after a bit steam will come out of the vent enthusiastically. If the steam comes out forcefully, looking like a pillar, pressure is building up inside which can blow off the lid. Either scoot the can over away from the heat a little, or wire the lid down, and try again. If you feel like it should be steaming but suddenly is not, the hole might be plugged with liquid tree sugars – fish the kiln out of the fire, use the nail to poke open (and slightly enlarge) the hole, and try again.

Closing off the air hole during cool down.

Heat the kiln well for at least an hour if it is directly in the fire, or a couple of hours if at the sideline. As long as steam is coming out no air can come in, and the charcoal is doing fine. If the lid blows off, replace is as soon as you can, and take another drink… At the end of the burn, when all water is evaporated, the combustible gasses are ready to go. The steam will dwindle away and suddenly a candle flame will spout out of the lid hole! When the flame also dwindles away, carefully take the kiln out of the fire, immediately plug the air hole and let it cool down completely.

Admiring the charcoal – it’s like a magic trick!

When the kiln has cooled down, pry open the lid and behold – your own freshly made drawing sticks! The neat thing of charcoal sticks as an art medium is that it smudges easily, which can be used to create impressive shadows and highlights – but can also easily muck up your drawing. It is a good idea to use a fixative (like hairspray or an art fixative) to protect your finished drawing, and to store your fragile drawing sticks in a sturdy container like a mason jar so they don’t get crushed or bent. And, last but not least: go forth & create!

It works!

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dunn, Kevin M. Caveman Chemistry, 2003. ISBN 1-58112-566-6
Neddo, Nick. The Organic Artist, 2015. ISBN 978-1-59253-926-0
Verberg, Susan. Of Charcoal and Ashes, 2015. Class Handout by Elska á Fjárfella.
https://www.academia.edu/27757474/Of_Charcoal_and_Ashes


Published in the Aethelmearc Gazette, October 24, 2016
https://aethelmearcgazette.com/2016/10/24/make-your-own-period-drawing-charcoal/

DIY Iron Gall and Acorn Ink

Based on the Iron Gall Ink; now Featuring Acorns! handout by Robert Meyer.
I took this class in the winter of 2016 and had great fun doing so, thank you Robert!


Iron Gall Ink can be traced back to antiquity and was one of the most commonly used ink on old manuscripts. It is often referred to as 'common ink'. Some of the oldest recipes come from Pliny the Elder, a roman author, and even the dead sea scrolls were found to contain iron ink.

Traditionally, ink was made with oak galls. Galls are growth found on oak trees that are triggered by insects puncturing the branches and can be very difficult to find. A good substitute are the acorns from the tree. The chemical used for ink is called tannin. Slow cooking galls or acorns in water will allow the tannin to be released. To preserve their ink, some scribes would ferment their ink, whereas others would preserve it with cloves.

Acorn tannin is a hydrolysable tannin, meaning it is a type of tannin that, on heating with hydrochloric or sulfuric acids, it yields blue black gallic or ellagic acids, the base for ink. Iron ink is made by adding iron sulfate, also called vitriol, to your tannic acid. The darkening of the ink is caused by oxidation of the iron. Ink would range in pH from about 2 (a lemon) to a 5 (a cup of coffee); if too acidic the addition of crushed egg shells, which contain the buffering agent calcium carbonate, would raise the pH to about a neutral 7.


Now we're cooking!
As continued multiple day cooking is optimal for making ink a modern crockpot or slow cooker is a safe option.

Fill the crockpot half full with oak acorns, and top it off with water.
Cook for 3 to 7 days and keep adding water as needed to keep the acorns covered.
As this can get smelly it would be good to cook this outdoors in a garage or similar.

Meanwhile, put as many rusty metal nails, chain, pot scrubby, fencing remnants, wire etc in a jar and cover all of this with vinegar. Let this sit - without a lid! - for a few days. The exothermic reaction will build up pressure and can blow the jar or lid right off! Now you've made your own iron sulfate, also called iron mordant in dyeing jargon, by sending ferrous iron through a sulfuric acid bath. As it sits you'll notice the liquid darken and see bubbles floating to the top.

After waiting patiently, strain the now dark liquid from your cooked acorns through a colander into a a container. The spent acorns can be tossed. Take the liquid and put it into glass jars. Place the jars back into the crockpot and pour water around the bottles, au bain marie style.
Cook for about three days to evaporate excess water from the tannin solution.
Keep adding water to the crockpot so it does not run dry (and overheat the tannin jars) and do not put lids on the jars as then the tannin liquid can not shed its excess water.

And now we'll make ink! Take the reduced tannin and pour in the iron sulfate. Make sure to give the iron sulfate a good shake, with the lid on, before adding it. Then add some honey. This is the binder that will help maintain particle suspension throughout the solution. And then you can add a lid, and either ferment it, or add some cloves as a preservative. Both methods were commonly used.

You can also add 10% alcohol by volume as a preservative (like 100-proof vodka) by using the following recipe, where X stands for the amount of alcohol needed to end with a 10% concentration.

    AX = B(C+X)

    Where:
    A = alcohol proof divided by 200. This is the alcohol concentration of your alcohol expressed as a decimal.
    B = the alcohol concentration, expressed as a decimal, in your finished ink.
    C = the volume, in ml, of raw ink you are starting with.
    X = the volume, in ml, of alcohol you must add to the raw ink.

If oak galls are used instead of the more easily to find oak acorns, break up the galls and simmer in water for about a half hour. If cooked in cast iron, the iron from the pot will be absorbed into the tannin liquid as well. Then add iron sulfate, give it some time to oxidize and test by writing until it is dark enough or until it is saturated and does not stay in solution anymore. Of course, any plant that contains gallic acid can be used to make ink with; black oak galls have a very high concentration of gallic acid at 6-9% but plants like sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, black walnut etc can also be used.

Gum Arabic is another period ink additive, like honey it keeps the iron in suspension but it also glues the ink to the paper and helps lubricate the liquid for easy writing with a quill pen. Use 1 part gum Arabic to 30 parts ink.


Interested in learning more?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_gall_ink
http://irongallink.org/igi_index.html
https://elementsunearthed.com/2014/05/08/making-iron-gall-ink/
https://sites.google.com/a/open-ink.com/open-ink/inks/old-recipies/vegetal/black-walnut-ink

For period ink recipes check earlier posts on this blog in the On Pigments & Ink chapter.

To make Ynke

Wryting Inke
WRyting Inke tempered with water, wyne, or vinegar, wherein Woormwood hath bene stie|ped: Myse wyl not eate the Papers or Letters writ|ten with that Inke. And also cloathes wherein Woormwood is layde or wrapt, is safe from mothes: and if there be any there, it wyll driue them awaye. Diascorides.

Thomas Lupton, A Thousand Notable Things, 1579



To make blacke Ynk very good.
TAke a pound and a halfe of raine water, with three vnces of the waighttest Galles you can finde, bruse them into small peeces and poore them into the said water and let it stande two daies in the sunne. Then put to it two vnces of Ro|maine vitriolle wel colored and beate~ small, and mixe all well togither with a sticke of a Figge tree, & leaue it againe two daies more in the Sunne. Finally put to it an vnce of Gomme Arabicke that is eleere and bright and beaten into pouder, and an vnce of the pill of Pomegranades, and than boile it a little with a slowe fier: that doen straine it, and kepe it in a vessell of Leade or Glasse, and it will be very blacke and per|fite good.

To make Greene Ynke.
TAke Verdegris elect & fayer, and make it into past with a little strong Vinagre and distilled water of Grene galle, and let it drie, and whan you will write with it te~per it with the same water of greene gall putting to it a little gomme Arabike.

Girolamo Ruscelli, The Seconde Part of the Secretes of Master Alexis of Piemont, 1560


The Maner to make Ynke
Take a pottel of reyne wat' and breke half a ll. of galle, eche galle in iij. or iiij. pec?, and lete this galle stode in y forsayd water iiij. or v. dayes, and than poure out y vpermost of the water, and put therto di. ll. weyght off vitryol in pouder, and put therin in an erthen vessel, and stere hem wel togeyd', and stoppe the potte than none eyer cum therto, and lete it stonde a daye and a nyght, and then take di. ll. off gome of stryter weyght than was y vitryoll and put it therto, and stoppe ayen the pott, and stere it aboute, and at iij. or iiij. dayes ende then take the forsayd gallis and drye them in the sonne, and breke them smaller then they were, and put therto a quartir and di. of water, and lete hem stode vij. nyghtes, and pure out the cler water, and put therto lesse than a q.' of vitrioll in small pouder, and doo as is before sayde, and put therto lesse weight of gome then of the vitriol, and wyth that later ynke temper y fyrst ynke when nede is, and yf tho tempre good ynke wyth semple water, it wyl turne to corrupcion, and the iij. tyme sethe the galle in water tyl the be softe, and porcion the remenant as is before sayde. Use and crafte shal teche the better, &c.

The Customs of London, 1503


More recipes available in
Medieval Arabic Bookmaking and its relation to early Chemistry and Pharmacology by Martin Levey of Yale University, available for free download at:
http://www.islamicmanuscripts.info/reference/books/Levey-1962/Levey-1962-Medieval-Arabic-Bookmaking-Ibn-Badis-01-23.pdf

The Craftsman's Handbook: "Il Libro dell' Arte" by Cennino d'Andrea Cennini, translated by Jr. Daniel V. Thompson, 1954 has some info on page 116-117 on drawing with pen & ink, washes of ink, and making ink for block printing on cloths.
https://www.amazon.com/Craftsmans-Handbook-Libro-dell-Arte/dp/048620054X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475336413&sr=8-1&keywords=cennino+cennini

Theophilus has five mentions of ink in his On Divers Arts.
https://www.amazon.com/Divers-Arts-Dover-Art-Instruction/dp/0486237842/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475336360&sr=8-1&keywords=theophilus+on+divers+arts

To write letters vpon a mans body that shall neuer be rubbed out...

For to write letters vpon a mans body or face that shall neuer be rubbed out.
YOu muste go into the stooues or hote houses whiche be very hote, and when you are in a sweate write vpo~ your bodie with what inke you will, then cut the skin with a sharpe ra|sour, and fill the cuttes with earth of what colour you will, and leaue them so and incontinent by reason of the greate heate the skin will close & shut vp togither and the letters or figures that you haue made vpon your fleshe will remaine for euer.

From The Seconde Part of the Secretes of Master Alexis of Piemont by Girolamo Ruscelli, 1560

Ink recipes from A Booke of Secrets, 1596.

By W. Philip - transcribed, edited and provided with a technical glossary by Jack C. Thompson

From: Manuscript Inks by Jack C. Thompson © 1996 The Caber Press

A Booke of Secrets

A Booke of Secrets is a 1596 translation of a Dutch edition (which itself may have been translated from a 1531 German text) that contains a wonderful collection of ink recipes. These include iron gall ink recipes formulated for paper and parchment, and recipes for making different colored inks. In addition there are instructions for etching in metal and coloring quill pens. The text concludes with a technical glossary and a list of source literature. A Booke of Secrets was published in 1995 by The Caber Press in Manuscript Inks. This publication also contains instructions for making iron sulfate (ferrous  sulfate/copperas/green vitriol) and iron gall ink, and includes a text on the manufacture of carbon ink sticks by Claes G. Lindblad. Manuscript Inks can be purchased by contacting Jack Thompson. He also sells sample sets of various iron gall inks. This text is a good example of a type of source used by art historians to research historic artist techniques. You might find it helpful to refer to Source Reserach which illustrates the difficulties in interpreting these sources.

Hundreds of recipes for iron gall ink have been published over the centuries. The sheer variety and number of these recipes testify to the widespread use of iron gall ink and its primary importance to our literary and artistic traditions. Artists and scribes, domestics and entrepreneurs each concocted their own formula to suit their particular needs. Interest in making historic inks has increased in the last several years, due in large part to the efforts of a few ink enthusiasts who have shared their
vast knowledge and experience on the subject. This website is an effort to continue this dialogue, by sharing information about iron gall ink and promoting an appreciation for its unique place in history. It is surprisingly easy to make iron gall ink - the earliest recipes are often the simplest - and the ingredients are inexpensive and readily available.

Foreword
The original copy of the text which follows is owned by the Yale Center for British Art and the editor appreciates the good offices of Elisabeth Fairman in making it available for this publication. After reading a photocopy of the text, I thought it would be worthwhile to reproduce the text with a technical glossary to help explain some of the more obscure terms. The term, conterfein, was located in only one source; Hoover's translation of De Re Metallica. "Well leaded" has been taken to mean "glazed," given that most recipes for early glazing compounds include lead in their formulae. The original text was black letter, with paragraph headings in a roman font. Aside from changing the black letter to a more legible font, the text is, for the most part, unchanged from the original; "u" has been replaced with "v" where appropriate in modern usage (i.e., "conuenient" is now "convenient," etc.). One spelling error has been corrected ("tino" is "into") and a missing word has been supplied: "To keepe that neither Mise nor [moths] eat or fret the paper...."

Secreta, or books of secrets, have been a mainstay of scholarship and research for a very long time; the tradition continues today in the notes which students make in class, in a lab, and in the library. In this, they follow a very old tradition; accurate information mingled with folklore and opinion. The recipe for a gold color, on p. 9, is a goo example. The reference to Michaelmas day [29 September] suggests an English origin for that recipe, while the reference to Saint Laurance day [10 August] suggests a French origin. The Dutch work which was translated into English was entitled: Ettliche Künste, auff mancherley Weisz Dinten und allerhand Faben zu bereyten; essentially the same as: Artliche kunste mancherley weyse Dinten und aller hand farben zubereyten, which was published in Nuremberg, in 1531. Neither the Dutch nor the German texts have been compared with the English translation, but it would seem that they are, more or less, the same.



[editor's note: the original Dutch A bouck of wondre is from 1513. The title given above for the Dutch book is German and the date later than the Dutch version, suggesting that the German was a translation of the Dutch, and the English a later translation.]

I am indebted to David Meesters, of Amsterdam, for providing information about aloe epaticum, via internet.

Jack C. Thompson
Portland, Oregon
August, 1995

A Booke of secrets

And first to make inke in divers maners
It is first to bee understood that if you wil make a great quantitie of Inke
together, you must encrease the waight, and measure, according to the
proportion you meane to make, as for example, if you will make ten quarts
of Inke, then take foure quarts of water, and sixe quarts of vineger and
wine, that is, three of each sort, which together with the water make ten
quarts, and so must you doe with other quantities, either more or lesse. The
like must you doe in the waight of your other stuffe that belongeth
thereunto, as for a pint of water, six ounces of gaule, foure ounces of
victriall, and foure ounces of gum, and if you take foure quarts of water
(which is eight pints) if you give to every pint his proportion, then
multiplying either by sixe they make fortie eight, so many ounces of gaule
must you put to ten quarts, mixed as afore said with wine, vineger, and
water, and of victrial and gum, of each xxxii ounces, according to the first
proportion, and so must you observe your quantities, of waight and measure
in each proportion, as you are minded to encrease the same, as in this
treatise you shall read.

To make Inke to write upon paper
Take halfe a pint of water, a pint wanting a quarter of wine, and as much
vineger, which being mixed together make a quart and a quarter of a pint
more, then take six ounces of gauls beaten into small pouder, and sifted
through a sive, put this pouder into a pot by it selfe, and poure halfe the
water, wine and vineger into it, take likewise foure ounces of victriall, and
beat it into pouder, and put it also in a pot by itselfe, whereinto put a
quarter of the wine, water, and vineger that remaineth, and to the other
quarter, put foure ounces of gum Arabike beaten to a pouder, that done,
cover the three pots close, and let them stand three or foure daies together,
stirring them every day three or foure times, on the first day set the pot
with the gauls on the fire, and when it begins to seeth, stir it about till it be
throughly warme, then straine it through a cloath into another pot, and mixe
it with the other two pots. stirring them well together, and being covered,
then let it stand three daies, till thou meanest to use it, on the fourth day,
when it is setled, poure it out, and it wil be good inke. If there remaine any
dregs behind poure some raine water (that hath stand long in a tub or
vessell) into it, for the older the water is, the better it is, and keepe that
untill you make more inke, so it is better then clean water.

To make Inke for parchment
Make it in all points like to the inke aforesaid, only take a pint of water, and
of vineger and wine a pint more, that is, of each halfe a pint.

Another sort of Inke
Take a quart of cleare water, and put it in a glasse, put into it thirteene
ounces beaten victriall, let it stand three daies, and stir it three or foure
times every day, then take thirteene ounces of beaten gaules, and put them
into a new earthern pot, that is wel leaded, poure into them a quart of
cleane water, that done, set it on the fire, and let it seeth till it consumeth
about a finger deepe, but suffer it not to seeth so fast that it seeth over the
pots brim, then strain it through a wollen cloath, into another pot, that is
leaded, poure into the cloath a cup full of good vineger, and strain it through
likewise, that done, if there remaineth anything in the cloath, cast it away,
then put into the matter, foure or five ounces of beaten gum, and stir them
well together, then again straine them through a cleane wollen cloath, and
poure into a cup full of good vineger, and straine it through the cloath, and
let it stand till it be coole, then put it into a straight necked glasse, stop both
the glasses well, til you have occasion to use them, then take of each water
a little quantitie, and mix them together, so have you good inke.

Another of the same sort, but easie to make
Take the beaten gauls, and put them in the water, doe the like with the
victriall in a pot by it selfe, let those two waters stand, and when you have
cause to use inke, poure out of each pot a like quantitie, and it will be
blacke, then put into it a little beaten gum, and it will bee good inke.

Another
Take a quart of strong wine, put it into a new pot, and set it on a soft fire till
it be hote, but let it not seeth, then put into it foure ounces of gauls, two
ounces and a halfe of gum Arabike,and two ounces of victriall, al beaten into
smal pouder, and sifted through a sive, stirre it with a wooden stic

To make coloured inks

Of red colour, and first of Brasill
You must take care when you seeth Brasill, that you do it when the element
is clear, without clouds, raine, or wind, otherwise it will not be good, you
must make it thus:
Take quicklime, poure raine water upon it, let it stand all night, in the
morning poure the water softly from the lime, or straine it through a cloath,
and for a quart of water, take an ounce of Brasill, let it seeth till it be halfe
consumed, then put into it one ounce of beaten alum, one ounce of gum
Arabike, two ounces of gum of a Cheritree, or else two ounces of cleane
glue, straine it from the wood: you may likewise put into it some chalke
beaten to pouder.

To seeth Brasill another way
To an ounce of Brasill, take the third part of a quart of beere, wine, or
vineger, put it in a new pot, let it stand a night, in the morning set it on the
fire and let it seeth till it be halfe consumed, then for every ounce of Brasill,
take two pennyworth of alum, beaten to pouder, and as much beaten gum
Arabike, stir them wel together, and let them seeth againe but if you desire
to have it somewhat darke, then scrape a little chalke into it: when it
seeteth, let it not seeth over the pot, and being cold, strain it through a
cloath, and put it into a glasse well stopped.

Another red colour
Mingle salt and honny together in a bason, let it stand eight daies, then
seeth it, and it will be a red colour.

Purple colour
Take two pound of blew heidleber, two ounces of alum, one ounce of ashes
of copper, which you may have at the brasiers, a pint of water, put them into
a ketle, let it seeth till it consume two fingers deepe, when it is cold, straine
it through a clout, in a cleane glasse or pot, let it stand a while, then straine
it into another pot, and let it stand till it be thicke enough.

To make Rosin
Take strong vinegar, or wine, and put pouder of alum therein, when the alum
is dissolved, then make a strong and thicke lee with quickelime, and take
foure times as much Brasill as your alum waieth, put it in a clout, and hang
it in the lee, and let it stand a day and a night, then straine it, and hang the
Brasill again in the lee, and let it stand as long as it did the first time, which
doe in like manner three or foure times, when you have done so let it stand
and drie, and it is perfect.

Another Rosin
Take two parts red lead, one part white lead, and mingle them together, or
take Auripigmentum and red lead, of each a like quantitie, and mingle them
together.

Fire colour
Take sout of a chimney, and a little alum, let them boile, then take gineper,
granded with water, and temper it together, with alum and gum Arabike.

Tawny colour
Take blacking, and mingle it with red lead and gum Arabike.

Yellow colour
Take hauthorne berries, gather them eight daies after Saint Laurence day,
bruse them and put a little beaten alum unto them, stirre them well
together, and let them stand one night, and it will be a faire yellow.

Another good yellow
Take the barke of a tree, cut off the outside, and throw it away, cut the rest
in small peeces, and poure water unto them, let them seeth two or three
times, then put pouder of alum into it, stirre them well together, and let
them seeth againe.

Another yellow
Mix saffron with the yolke of an eg, and it maketh a faire shining colour.

Otherwise.
Put saffron and alum into a clout, and put vineger into it, and strain it out:
or take saffron, the yolke of an eg, gum Arabike and alum, and mix them
together.

Auripigmentum
Take gaule of Eeles, or of other great fishes, or oxe gaule, put some vineger
to it, and a little chalke, and make a paste thereof.

Greene colour
Take the blacke berries that grow on the hauthorne tree, and gather them
eight daies after Michaelmas day, bruse them, poure water into them, and
put therein a little beaten alum, stir them well together, and let them stand
two daies and a night, and it will be good greene.

A faire greene colour
Take honie, put a little quantitie of vineger more then the honie is, into it,
mingle it well in a leaded or a copper pot, stop it well, and set it twelve daies
under another pot, and put thereto a little chalke.
Also take copper plates, put them in a copper pot, and put stilled vineger to
them, set them in a warm place, till the vineger become blew, then put it
into another leaded pot, poure vineger into it againe, let it stand so till it
become blew, this doe so many times, till you thinke you have inough, then
let it stand till it be thick.

To temper or prepare Verdigreece
Grind it with wine, and put two or three drops of honny to it.

To make good greene
Take copper plates, let them lie six months in vineger in a warme place, then
take them out, and drie them in the sun, and the flower you find upon the
plates, scrape it of, for that is the colour.

Blew colour
Grind chalke with the juice of the elder berries, straine it through a clout,
put a little alum water unto it, let it drie, and keep it til you need.
In the same sort you may make colour of the blew corne flowers. Also the
juice of the blew corn flowers alone, with alum and gum tempered together,
is a good blew.
Also mulberies boiled with alum.
Also take blew corn flowers that are not too much blowne, and gather them
in a morning before the sun riseth, plucke the blew leafe, and let not any of
the white come among them, and put them into a copper kettle, and hang it
in seething water, till they be drie, keepe them in a glasse well covered.
When you wil make colour of them, then take some of the blew leaves, and
put them into a drinking glasse, poure water into them, till it be thicke like
dowe, let it stand covered twelve houres, then presse the liquor through a
cloath into another glasse, and put a little glue into it, and set it in a warme
place, or else in whote water, untill it bee drie and thicke to use.

To make Azure
Take one ounce of white lead, nine ounces of Indicum, pour good vineger
unto it, put them in a leaded dish, let them seeth well, and that which
swimmeth on the top is the colour.
Or take two parts of chalk made of egshels, one part of Verdigreece, one
part of Salarmoniacke, mingle them together with strong vineger, and put
them in a new pot, stop it well, that no aire issue forth, set it in a warme
place for a month long, and it will be Azure.

To temper or prepare Azure
Wash it wel in cleane water, and that swimmeth on the top, cast it away, and
that which lieth in the bottome, is good, doe so three or four times one after
another, and let the water bee cleane poured from it, then take white of egs
that are well beaten, put thereto a little beaten gum Arabike, and let it stand
till the gum is dissolved, then put the Azure into it, and mingle them well
together, straine it through a linnen cloath into an inkehorne, and use it
when you will.

A faire blew
Grind the Azure with faire water very well upon a stone, then put it in a
horne or shell, and pour water theron, stir them wel together, then let them
stand half a day, then pour out the water, and take the gaule of a great fish,
and grind it with gum and the white of egs, and use it when you thinke
good.

White colour
To write with chalke out of a pen upon blacke tables or paper.
Grind quicklime, egshels, and chalke, together with the milke of a goat.

To make chalke of egshels
Take egshels, and let them lie three daies in vineger, then wash them well in
faire water, drie them in the sun, and beat them to pouder, then grind them
upon a stone.

A good white colour
Take white glasse wel beaten to pouder, put thereto some brimstone in
pouder, and keep it in a pot wel covered, set it upon a soft fire, til it be red
hote, then let it coole, and grind it on a stone.

Gold colours

To Make Aurum Musicum
Take one ounce of Salarmoniack, one ounce of quick silver, one ounce of
Conterfein, halfe an ounce of brimstone, bruse the brimstone, set it on the
fire, but let it not be over hote least it burneth, or become black, then take
the Salarmoniack, and the quick silver, being in pouder, mix them wel
together, then mingle them with the brimstone, stir them well and quickly
with a sticke, till the brimstone becommeth hard, then let it cool, grind it on
a stone, and put it in a glasse with a long neck wel stopped with luttum, and
set it in a pan with ashes, make a fire under it, and let it stand halfe a day,
in such maner, not over hote, till a yellow smoke riseth upon it, and when
the yellow smoke is gone, then it is prepared.

Otherwise
Take an ounce of tin, melt it in a pot, put into it half an ounce of Tartarum,
and one ounce of quick silver, stir them together, till it bee hard, and
congealed into a cake, then grind it well upon a stone, put to it one ounce of
beaten Salarmoniack, mix them wel together, then melt one ounce of
brimstone, but make it not too hote, poure the ground pouder into it, stirre
it well untill it bee hard, let it coole, and doe as before is said.

You must temper it thus
Grind it well, wash it wel in clean water out of one mussell shell into another,
till it bee very cleane, then put it into a pewter pot, put some gum water
therein, stir it about, and write therwith, let it drie, and polish it.

Argentum Musicum
Melt an ounce of Tin, and put thereto an ounce of Tartarum, an ounce of
quick silver, stirre it well til it be cold, beat it in a morter, then grind it on a
stone, temper it with alum water, and write therewith, then polish it.

To write a gold colour
Take a new laid hens eg, make a hole at the one end of it, and let the
substance out, then take the yolk of an eg, without the white, and foure
times as much in quantity of quick silver, grind them well together, stop the
hole of the egshell with chalke and the white of an eg, then lay it under a
hen that sitteth with six egs more, let her sit upon it three weekes, then
breake it up and write therewith, some say it must bee laid under three
several hens, and under each hen three weekes.

To write with gold out of a pensill
Take hony and salt a like quantity, grind them wel, put to it a leaf of gold
with a little white of an eg, put it into a mussell shel, and let it purifie,
temper it with gum water, and write therewith, let it drie, and polish it with a
tooth.
Or grind saltstone well with the white of an eg, put into it a leafe or two of
gold, and write therewith as before.
Or grind a leaf of silver or gold very smal with gum water, and wash it in a
mussell shel as aforesaid.

To write all mettals out of the pen
Grind cristall well, temper it with gum water, or the white of an eg, write
with it, then let it drie, then take the mettal, which you wil, and rub it upon
the letters writen, till the letter bee well coloured with the color of the
mettall, then polish it with a tooth.
Or take cristall and pomestone, both ground very small, put thereto a little
verdigreece, beaten likewise to pouder, and put them all into a leaded
pipkin, set it upon a soft fire, but let it not bee too hote, let it not stand so
long on the fire, that it becommeth as blacke as a coale, then grind it on a
stone, temper it with gum water, write with it as aforesaid.

A good gold colour
Take linseed oile, put into it a little Aloe Epaticum, and alum, let them seeth
well in a leaden pot.

To lay gold upon anything
Take red lead, temper it with linseed oile, write with it, and lay gold upon it,
so let it drie, and polish it.
Or lay gum Arabike in vineger, so long til it wareth white, take it out and put
it into the white of egs, till it melteth, write w ith it, when it is almost drie,
lay the gold upon it, then let it stand one night, and polish it.

To lay gold upon glasse
Grind chalke, and red lead in like qantity together, with linseed oile, lay it on,
when it is almost drie, lay your gold upon it, and being well dried, polish it.

End of the colours.

Another
Take an ounce of beaten gaule, three or four ounces of gum Arabicke, put
them together in a pot with reine water, and when the gum is almost
consumed, strain it through a cloath, and put into it almost halfe a cup of
victriall beaten to pouder.

Another
Take a pint of beere, put into it an ounce of gaules beaten to pouder, let it
seeth till it seeme somewhat red, then put to it three quarters of an ounce
of greene victriall, in small pouder, and let it seeth againe, when you take it
off the fire, cast into it three quarters of an ounce of gum and a small peece
of alum, both in pouder, and stir them all together till it be cold.

Another
Take two handfull of gauls, cut each gaule either into three or four peeces,
poure into them a pint of beere or wine, which you wil then let it stand eight
houres, straine it from the gaules, and put victriall therein, and to the
victriall a third part of gum, set it on the fire to warm, but let it not seeth,
and it will be good inke: and of those gaules you may make inke foure or
five times more.

To make inke upon a suddaine, to serve in an extremetie
Take a wax candle, and light it, hold it under a cleane bason or a
candlesticke, till the smoke of the candle hangeth thereon, then put a little
warme gum water into it, which tempered together will be good inke.

To keepe Inke that it sinketh not into the paper neither that it come
not off and that moths nor mise hurt not the paper
Take the shels of hazell nuts, and put them into the inke, and it will not sinke
through the paper. And that it may not come off, put a little salt into it. To
keepe that Mise nor eat or fret the paper, put a little wormwood water into
the inke.

To write without inke, that it may not be seen, unlesse the paper be
wet with water
Take pouder of victriall, and put it into a cleane inkehorne, put a little cleane
water to it when the victriall is dissolved, write with it either upon paper or
parchment, and let it drie, and it cannot bee read: when you will read it take
halfe a pint of water, and put thereto an ounce of pouder of gaules, mix
them well together, then straine them through a linnen cloath into a cleane
pot, then draw the paper through the water , and the writing will be blacke,
as if it had ben written with inke.

To take Inke out of paper or parchment
Take Colofoniam, which is called pixgraecum, beat it small, and cast it on the
paper that is written, then wet a cloath, and lay it on the colofoniam, upon
the cloath lay some fresh horse dung. and upon that set a smooth tile stone,
then if it be in winter let it stand a whole night, but if it be summer, let it
stand but from morning until nine of the clocke.

Otherwise
Take Salarmoniacke and alum, still it in a limbeck, and with this water wet
the writing and it will goe out.

How to grave in yron and steel, or in other mettals with strong water
For as much as that every man in this our age, is given to write, learne, and
practise all manner of arts, I am of opinion it will not be unprofitable unto
such as are desirous to learn, if I set somewhat before them that may teach
them to write letters, and grave any other thing in steele, yron, or other
mettals, which I willingly present unto them, although it be but a small
matter, if it be profitable unto them, I wish them to use it.
Take two parts of verdigreece, one part of common salt, beat it in a morter,
put thereto sharpe vineger, and when you will grave, anoint your plate first
with red lead tempered with linseed oile, let it drie, this substance lay upon
the plate, and the warmer the place is, when it lieth, the sooner it wil eat in,
and when it is drie, take away the pouder, and make the plate cleane againe.
Or take two parts victriall, one third part Salarmoniack, grind it togither
upon a stone with wine, and lay it on as aforesaid, but lay it cold upon the
place where you grave, and set it in a celler four of five houres.

Another way to grave with water
Take verdigreece, Mercurie, sublimated victriall, and alum, of the one as
much as the other, beat them all to pouder, put them into a glasse, let them
stand so half a day, and stir it often about, then lay wax mingled with
linseed oile, or red lead with linseed oile, and write in it that you mean to
grave, then put the water upon it, and let it remaine so halfe a day, if you
wil have it very deepe, then let it stand longer, if you will grave any other
worke as images, etc.
Then lay the wax upon the yron or steele very thinly on, and draw what you
will therein with your instrument, that it may touch the mettal, then put
water into the strokes, and it wil be graven.

Another way, but more piercing
Take one ounce of verdigreece, half an ounce of Alum plumosum, halfe an
ounce of Salarmoniack, halfe an ounce of Tartarum, halfe an ounce of
victrial, and half an ounce of common salt, all beaten to pouder, mingle them
together, and pour strong vineger unto them, let them stand one houre, and
when you wil grave, write upon the yron or steele with linseed oile, and red
lead, and let it drie, then heat the water aforesaid in a leaded pan, and let it
stand on the fire, and hold the yron or steel over the pan, poure the hote
water upon it with a spoon, and let it run again into the pan, which doe for
the space of a quarter of an houre, then rub it off with ashes or unsleact
lime, but be sure that the places you will eat into be all well covered with red
lead.

To colour quils and parchment of divers colors
Take the quils, and cut away the fethers, and rub them wel with a wollen
cloath, that the skin go clean off, that the quil may be smooth, which must
alwaies be done before you die them, cut off a little of the end of the quil
that the colour may enter into them, lay them in alum water, for halfe a day,
take them out and drie them, then die them, when they are died, as I wil
teach you, let them be wel dried, and strike them over with a cloath
betweene two fingers, then stick them in a bord that is full of holes, and let
every one have a space betweene it, that they touch not together, and drie
them in the aire.

To die quils greene
Take two parts verdigreece, a third part Salarmoniacke, grind them well
together, steepe them in strong vineger, and put the quils into it, and cover
them close, let them lie therein till they be green as you desire to have
them: you may die likewise bones and wood in the same manner, lay the
quils, wood, or bones, in a leaded pot, poure vineger upon them, wherein
Greekish green is mixed, cover it, and set it seven daies or more under
warm horse dung. You may also temper verdigreece with vineger, till it bee
somewhat drie, put the quils into it, let them lie long therein, then take
them out, and put them in warm horse dung, and let them continue therein
eighteene daies together: you may die red quils in that sort and make them
greene, also take strong vineger, put it in a copper pot, or kettle, put
verdigreece into it, let it stand til it be green, put the quils into it, and let
them lie til they be green.

Red quils
Seeth them in Brasil, as before you are taught, baving first laid them in alum
water.

Yellow quils
Seeth them in yellow colour, as before you are taught what you shall do with
the barke of aple trees.

Blacke quils
Seeth beaten gaules in strong vineger, lay the quils in it, and let them seeth
likewise, then lay them in the white of egs, and put unto them the green pils
of walnuts, and let them seeth all together.

To colour parchment and velim of divers colors
Take as much parchment or velim as you will, and fasten it at the corners
and sides with nailes unto a bord, with the smooth side outwards, annoint it
then with what colour you will, be it yellow, blew, red or black, such as you
find set down in this booke, let it drie well, then stroke it over, and let it drie
in a place, where no dust is stirring.

FINIS.

Glossary

A
Aloe epaticum: Also, hepatic aloes. From East Indies originally. Reddish
brown or liver color; powder is of a dull yellow color.
Alum: Typically, potassium aluminum sulphate (K2SO4.Al2[SO4]3.24H2O).
Alum plumosum: Plumose alum, or Plume alum. A kind of natural alum,
composed of a sort of threads, or fibres, resembling feathers; whence its
name; artificially produced by treating clay tobacco pipes with sulfuric acid
to produce crystals; not asbestos.
Aurum musicum: Also, Aurum mosaicum, musitum, musivum, purpurina,
porporina; mosaic gold. Stannic sulphide (SnS2).
Argentum musicum: Mosaic silver.
Ashes of Copper: Cuprous oxide (Cu2O)
Auripigmentum: Also, orpiment, opiment. Arsenic trisulfide (AS2S3).

B
Blew heidleber: Bilberry, whortleberry, huckleberry.
Brasill: Brazil wood. A natural dye from the wood of Caesalpina braziliensis.
(C16H12O5).
Brimstone: Sulfur (S).

C
Colofoniam: Colophony; a resinous substance from distillation of light oil
from turpentine.
Conterfein: Metallic zinc (Zn).

G
Gauls: Oak galls.
Gaule of Eeles: Gall of eels, also, Bile yellow; bile from the gall bladder of
eels; gall stones.
Gineper: Juniper.

I
Indicum: Indigo; a plant dye prepared from the fermented leaves of the
plant, Indigofera tinctoria.

L
Limbeck: Alembic; a glass or pottery vessel used to distill or reduce liquids
over heat, consisting of a body/cucurbit/matrass, a head or capital, a pipe,
and a receiver.
Luttum: Lute, typically of clay, to form a seal.

O
Oxe gaule: Ox gall; prepared liquid from a bovine gall bladder, used as a
surfactant, and as a coloring agent.

P
Pix graecum: Also, pica greca. Greek pitch.
Pomestone: Pumice stone.

Q
Quick silver: Mercury (Hg).

R
Red lead: White lead or litharge heated for some hours to approx. 480 °C
(Pb3O4).

S
Salarmoniacke: Sal Ammoniac, (also Sal Armoniac, Salt Armoniack);
ammonium chloride (NH4CL).

W
Strong wine: Brandy.

U
Unsleact lime: Unslaked lime.

V
Verdigreece: Verdigris (verdegrise, vert de grise), basic copper acetate
(Cu(C2H3O2)2 . 2Cu(OH)2).
Victriall: Vitriol; typically ferrous sulphate, also known as Green vitriol
(FeSO4).
Blue vitriol, blue copperas; copper sulphate (CuSO4.5H2O).

W
White vitriol; zinc sulphate (ZnSO4).
White lead: Basic lead carbonate (Pb(CO3)2 . Pb(OH)2).

Literature
Andes, Louis Edgar and Stocks, H.B. Oil colours and Printers' Inks. London: Scott, Greenwood & Son, 1918.
Bemiss, Elijah. The Dyer's Companion. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1973 (originally, 1815).
Bersch, Josef. The Manufacture of Earth Colours. London: Scott, Greenwood & Son, 1921.
Borradaile, Viola & Rosamund. The Strasburg Manuscript. New York: Transatlantic Arts, 1966.
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Edinburgh: A. Bell and C. MacFarquhar, 1771.
Edelstein, Sidney M. and Borghetty, Hector C. The Plictho. Cambridge, MA: The M.I.T. Press, 1969.
Ross, Janet L. "A Note on the Use of Mosaic Gold." Studies in Conservation 18 (1973): 174-176.
Eklund, Jon. The Incompleat Chymist. City of Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1975.
Faithorne, William. The Art of Graveing and Etching. New York: Da Capo Press, 1970 (originally 1662).
Flood, W.E. The Dictionary of Chemical Names. New York: Philosophical Library, 1963.
Gettens, Rutherford J. and Stout, George L. Painting Material: A Short Encyclopaedia. New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 1942.
Gettens, Rutherford J. and Fitzhugh, Elisabeth W. "Azurite and Blue Verditer." Studies in Conservation 11 (1966) 54.
Grieve, Mrs. M. A Modern Herbal. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1971 (originally 1931).
Hawthorne, John G. and Smith, Cyril Stanley. Theophilus: On Divers Arts.
New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1979 (originally 1963).
Hiler, Hilaire. Notes on the Technique of Painting. New York: Oxford University Press, 1934.
Hind, Arthur M. A History of Engraving & Etching. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1963 (originally 1923).
Hoover, Herbert Clark and Lou Henry. Georgius Agricola: De Re Metallica. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1950.
Levy, Martin. "Mediaeval Arabic Bookmaking and its Relation to Early Chemistry and Pharmacology." Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. New Series 52, pt. 4 (1962).
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Mayer, Ralph. The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. New York: The Viking Press, 1945.
Merrifield, M.P. Original Treatises on the Arts of Painting. London: John Murray, 1849.
Miller, Dorothy. Indigo from Seed to Dye. Aptos, California: Indigo Press, 1984.
McKerrow, Ronald B. An Introduction to Bibliography. London: Oxford University Press, 1948.
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Smith, Cyril Stanley and Hawthorne, John G. "Mappae Clavicula." Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. New Series 64, pr.4 [1974].
Spon, Ernest. Workshop Receipts. New York: E. & F.N. Spon, 1888.
Thompson, D.V. "De Coloribus." Technical Studies III (1935) 139.
Thompson D. V. The Materials of Medieval Painting. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1936.
Tomlinson, Charles. Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts. London: Vitrue & Co., 1866.
Ure, Andrew. A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1858.
Watrous, James. The Craft of Old-Master Drawings. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1957.
Wood, George B. and Bache, Franklin. The Dispensatory of the United States of America. Philadelphia: 1847.
Wolfe, Richard J. Marbled Paper. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1990.

Jack C. Thompson
Thompson Conservation Lab.
7549 N. Fenwick
Portland, OR 97217, USA
503/735-3942 (voice/fax)
URL: http://www.teleport.com/~tc
http://irongallink.org/igi_indexbe74.html