Table 1 Selection of fifteenth-century German recipes for red and blue lake pigments prepared from wool shearings

Nuremburg, Nürnberger Stadtbibliothek, MS cent. VI. 89, (Nürnberger Kunstbuch), ff. 20v-21v [23, pp. 113–114]

S. Germany, mid-fifteenth century

Two recipes = red and blue

RED: paresrott (Paris red), roter scherwollen (red wool)

BLUE: indich (indigo or woad), plobe scher wollen (blue wool)

Materials: red and blue dyed wool, ashes, alum

Process to prepare a red and blue woolly pigment: dissolve a pound of red or blue wool in a lye made from ashes and water that has been boiled; heat mixture over a fire and bring to a boil; filter red or blue product twice through a cloth in this process; grind dissolved red or blue wool product together with alum on a stone slab; put final product in fresh water and bring to a boil again. Filter and lay out final dissolved product made into a red or blue lump to dry in the sun. Then you will have good paresrott (Paris red) or indigo/woad pigment.

Oltrogge D. Datenbank mittelalterlicher und frühneuzeitlicher kunsttechnologischer Rezepte in handschriftlicher Überlieferung. TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Institut für Restaurierungs- und Konservierungswissenschaften. https://www.th-koeln.de/kulturwissenschaften/kunsttechnologische-rezeptsammlung_25065.php. Accessed 23 January 2023.

Ploss E.E. Ein Buch von alten Farben. Technologie der Textilfarben im Mittelalter mit einem Ausblick auf die festen Farben, Munich: Moos & Partner München; 1989: 140–141.

Bamberg, Staatliche Bibliothek, Msc. Med. 12, f. 181 v

S. Germany (Bavaria), fifteenth century

Blue

BLUE: bloen indich (blue indigo/woad), wulle (undyed wool)

Materials: undyed wool, lye, alum, indigo/woad dye

Process to prepare a blue woolly pigment: Undyed wool is dissolved [left to rot]; the degraded wool is then poured onto some felt to dry; once product has dried then take woollen lump and grind well with alum on stone slab; then mix degraded wool with the blue indigo/woad dye to obtain blue pigment.

Oltrogge D. Datenbank mittelalterlicher und frühneuzeitlicher kunsttechnologischer Rezepte in handschriftlicher Überlieferung. TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Institut für Restaurierungs- und Konservierungswissenschaften. https://www.th-koeln.de/kulturwissenschaften/kunsttechnologische-rezeptsammlung_25065.php. Accessed 23 January 2023.

Bern, Bürgerbibliothek, Cod. Hist. Helv. XII 45 (Colmarer Kunstbuch), page 170, Chapter 110

S. Germany, 1478

Blue

BLUE: Ein nútzlich saff blow (blue from clothlet), lampersse blo wolle (blue Lombardy wool coloured with indigo/woad)

Materials: blue wool shearings, strong ash lye, alum

Process to prepare a blue woolly pigment: Take blue wool shearings and put them in strong lye overnight before heating the mixture over a fire and bringing to a boil for a short period of time. Then add pulverised alum and mix. Then take wool and squeeze water out. The aqueous clothlet blue in the vessel is the final product to paint and embellish with.

In this recipe it is not explicitly mentioned if the dissolved blue wool residue was discarded after the blue dye solution was squeezed out of it. The dissolved blue wool residue may still have been used as a lake pigment. This possibility cannot be ruled out.

Oltrogge D. Datenbank mittelalterlicher und frühneuzeitlicher kunsttechnologischer Rezepte in handschriftlicher Überlieferung. TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Institut für Restaurierungs- und Konservierungswissenschaften. https://www.th-koeln.de/kulturwissenschaften/kunsttechnologische-rezeptsammlung_25065.php. Accessed 23 January 2023.

Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cgm. 720 (Bairisches Färbebüchlein), Folio 226v-227r

Bavaria (Aldersbach), last quarter of fifteenth

century

Two recipes = red and blue

RED: parisrot (Paris red),

rote scherwoll von mechlischem tuch (Red wool from Mechelen cloth)

BLUE: tunckel plaben endig (dark blue indigo/woad), tunckelplabe schwerwoll vnd perait seÿ als di parisrot (dark blue wool and prepare it like Paris red [pigment])

Materials: ashes, lime, vinegar, rose water and fresh water, red wool, dark blue wool

Process to prepare a red woolly parisrot (Paris red): Boil ashes, lime, vinegar, rose water and fresh water together. Then take from the fire and add red wool before putting the mixture back on the fire and cooking it until the wool dissolves and becomes a thick mass. Then add pulverised alum and filter everything through a cloth and let it drip until a red [fluid] comes out. Properly rid this mixture of impurities. Then pour the dissolved wool mass on a luke warm brick and then later grind it properly on a stone slab. Pour this colour in a [leather] skin and hang it up for 3 to 4 days. Then the colour becomes good.

Process to prepare a blue woolly pigment dyed with woad/indigo:

Prepare this pigment in the same way as the Paris red pigment. Then you have a good indigo colour.

Oltrogge D. Datenbank mittelalterlicher und frühneuzeitlicher kunsttechnologischer Rezepte in handschriftlicher Überlieferung. TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Institut für Restaurierungs- und Konservierungswissenschaften. https://www.th-koeln.de/kulturwissenschaften/kunsttechnologische-rezeptsammlung_25065.php. Accessed 23 January 2023.

Amberg, Staatliche Provinzialbibliothek, Ms. 77 (Amberger Malerbüchlein), folio 226 v

S. Germany (Bavaria), late fifteenth century (c. 1492)

Red

RED: decoque abrasuram de scarlet (red wool), Parizrot (Paris red)

Materials: potash, lime, red wool, alum

Process to prepare a red woolly pigment: Take potash and lime to make a lye. Put wool in lye and boil it. When the wool is dissolved then add a little more alum and mix it until the mixture becomes thick. Afterwards grind the final product on a stone slab. A good red colour is the result called Parizrot (Paris red).

Oltrogge D. Datenbank mittelalterlicher und frühneuzeitlicher kunsttechnologischer Rezepte in handschriftlicher Überlieferung. TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Institut für Restaurierungs- und Konservierungswissenschaften. https://www.th-koeln.de/kulturwissenschaften/kunsttechnologische-rezeptsammlung_25065.php. Accessed 23 January 2023.