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| Inks and Colourings | |||
| One of the arts of the medieval scribe was the manufacture of his own ink. The illuminator or manuscript painter also concocted his own paints and pigments. This is part of a vast compendium of craft knowledge from the middle ages which was not necessarily written out in textbooks, as we would do it today, but which was passed on as oral and practical knowledge, even when it was about the construction of the written word. | |||
| There were various formulations for ink, especially in the early middle ages, but the most common concoction became that known as iron gall ink. It used combinations of iron vitriol, or ferrous sulphate, and oak galls mixed with wine, water or vinegar. Oak galls are swellings found on oak trees caused by insect attack, and whoever thought that it might be a brilliant idea to use them for concocting ink is lost to history. | |||
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Iron gall ink used in a 15th century book of hours (National Library of Australia, MS 1097/9). By permission of the National Library of Australia. |
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A 15th century recipe for ink (London, National Archives C. 47/34/1/3) | ||
| The medieval recipe at left basically says to break up galls and place them in a pot with vitriol, gum and water, stirring often. After two weeks it is ready for writing therewith. | |||
| Iron gall ink tends to be a brownish colour, especially after it has been sitting around for a few centuries, although this can vary. A modern practical inkmaking scribe has informed me that all his iron gall ink always turns out black at first. (He offered to send me some to prove it, but I was a bit concerned about what customs and border security would make of mysterious murky substances!) Some formulations of ink seem to fade over the centuries to a quite pale brown, while others retain a vigorous blackness. Its notable characteristic is that it is acidic and it actually bites into the parchment of the page. On the one hand, this makes it very durable as it is difficult to erase and even if it fades or is partially obliterated, there is a trace burnt into the page which can be rendered visible. On the other hand, in humid conditions it can actually continue to work its way through the parchment and damage it. | |||
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Partially rubbed ink on page from a 15th century missal, from a private collection. | ||
| In the above example, the very black ink has been partially rubbed from the page in places, as in the top right of the example, but the writing is still perfectly clear because of the impression made on the underlying parchment. | |||
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An erasure on a 15th or 16th century gradual leaf, from a private collection. | ||
| In the above example, an attempt has been made to actually erase a word, but as it remained firmly imprinted into the parchment, the corrector has resorted to some vigorous scratching out. It is still possible to see that the offending word is hic. | |||
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In the later middle ages carbon ink, made from soot and gum mixed with water, was sometimes used. This formed a very black ink, but it simply adhered to the surface of the page rather than bonding into it. Carbon ink was used in early printed books. | ||
| Carbon ink used on a leaf from a 15th century printed book. By permission of the University of Tasmania Library. | |||
| Everything you could possibly need to know about iron gall ink can be found at The Iron Gall Ink Corrosion Website, which now also includes the 16th century ink recipe from a booke of secrets. Some ancient recipes for ink can be found in The Ink Compendium and in the Quills section of the Regia Anglorum web site. | |||
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If you are looking at this page without frames, there is more information about medieval writing to be found by going to the home page (framed) or the site map (no frames). |
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