Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Medieval blues. The mystery of the magical blue color, solved after 1000 years

An extraordinary discovery.

A small, unobtrusive plant, Chrozophora tinctoriahas been found, along with the recipe used, that created that marvelously beautiful blue color used in Medieval illuminated manuscripts.

It's an odd, drab looking plant, hard to imagine its seed husks could be used to create such a fabulous color.


The 1000 year old mystery of the almost invisible plant


That deep and alluring blue really transforms and exquisitely enhances the illuminations.

Lost Recipe for Medieval Blue Ink Found

The plant used to create a popular blueish-purple ink once used in illuminated manuscripts--and the ink's recipe--has eluded scientists… until now.

The pigment known in the Middle Ages as folium was famous for its gorgeous blue/purple color and its staying power. Although it, along with the more well-known blue indigo pigment, was used to dye textiles, it was mostly used by monks to illuminate manuscripts.

How that vivid blue transforms these images.



 

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