93. Mordanting for Sardian Purple.
For
a mina of wool put in 4 minas of dross of iron (and) 1 choenix of sour
pomegranate; but if not this [latter) then (use) 1 chus of vinegar
(and) 8 chus of water (heated) over the fire until half of the water
has disappeared. Then take the fire away from under it, put the cleaned
wool in and leave it there until the water becomes cold. Then take it
out, rinse it and it will be mordanted.
94. Mordanting for Silician Purple.
Put
in the kettle 8 chus of water, a half a mina of alum, 1 mina of flowers
of copper (and) 1 mina of gall-nuts. When it boils put in 1 mina of
washed wool. When it has boiled two or three times take the wool out.
For when you leave it therein a longer time then the purple becomes
red. Take the wool out, however, rinse it out and you will have it
mordanted.
In ancient times, and among the alchemists, the term "flowers of copper" referred to copper oxide.
95. Mordanting and Dyeing of Genuine Purple.
For
a stater of wool put in a vessel 5 oboli of alum (and) 2 kotyles of
water. Bail and let it (become) lukewarm. Leave it until early morning,
then take it off and cool it. Then prepare a secondary mordant (in
which) you put 8 drachmas of pomegranate blossoms and two kotyles of
water in a vessel. Let it boil and put the wool in. However, after you
have dipped the wool in several times, lift it out. Add to the
pomegranate blossom water about a ball of alumed archil and dye the
wool by judging with the eye. If you wish, however, that the purple be
dark, add a little chalcanthum and let the wool remain long in it. In
another passage it is in the following way: But if you wish that the
purple be dark, then sprinkle natron and a little chalcanthum in the
dye bath.
96. Dyeing in Purple.
Purple.
Roast and boil Phrygian stone. Leave the wool therein until it becomes
cold. Then lift it out, put 1 mina (each) of archil and amarant in
another vessel, boil then and let the wool cool down in it.
Phrygian
stone was evidently some kind of a mineral capable of yielding soluble
salts. It may have been a type of alunite according to Berthelot. This
would explain its use in mordanting.
97. Another (Recipe).
Take
the wool and clean with soap weed. Take blood stone and put it in a
kettle. Put therein previously boiled chalcanthum. Put in the wool
previously mordanted in urine, alum, and misy. Lift the wool out, rinse
it with salt water, let it become cold, and brighten the purple with
gall-nut and hyacinthe. It has a very beautiful foreign appearance.
Bloodstone
is identical with our hematite while misy was either iron or copper
pyrites or oxidation products of these (see Pliny, N. H. Book XXXIV,
31). Hyacinthe was some kind of a vegetable dyeing material.
98. Another (Recipe).
Take
and boil grain weevils, dross of iron and laurel berries. Put in 2
minas of wool, which you have previously mordanted, and now have
boiled. Take it out and let it cool off. Brighten the color with
limewater.
99. Another (Recipe).
Phrygian
stone is roasted and boiled. The wool is put in and left there until it
becomes cold. Then lift it out, place in another vessel 1 part of
archil and 1 part of amaranth bios-
