Recipes for the preparation and use of red dyes in old Persian treatises

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research/Original/Reqular Article

Authors

1 Department of Objects Conservation and Archaeometry

2 Central Laboratory, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan. Iran

10.22059/jihs.2026.409163.371868

Abstract

An examination of the recipes in over twenty old treatises from the fifth to the twelfth centuries AH (the 11th to the 18th century AD) shows red dyes including amaranth, sappanwood, dragon’s blood, madder, black mulberry, anemone, scale insects (kermes, lac and Armenian cochineal), pomegranate flower, and safflower were extracted using various alkaline and acidic substances such as vinegar, lime, and alum, through different methods. This article demonstrates that the use of red dyes in old recipes was primarily recommended for dyeing paper and for making coloured inks. Apart from these uses, other limited applications including dyeing stone, leather, glass and crystal, as well as making paint for painting, and the use of red dyes in textile dyeing can also be inferred from these ancient texts. Notably, among the old Persian instructions examined, no method was found for making lake pigments from dyes. This article also discusses the terminology of red dyes in old treatises and the difficulties of understanding the dyes nomenclature in old Persian recipes.

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Journal for the History of Science

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 April 2026

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