Thorn bark ink

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buckthorn bark ink or thorn ink was one of the most commonly used types of ink of the Middle Ages . It combines the lightfastness and durability of carbon black ink with the water resistance of iron gall ink without having its disadvantages. The ink is reddish-brown in color.

The monk Theophilus described the production of thorn bark ink around 1100 in his Schedula diversarum artium: “You cut thorn branches from sloes in April or May shortly before they are knocked out and leave them for a few days. Then the bark is knocked off and mixed with water. This approach also remains for a few days. When the water is reddish brown, the mixture is boiled and the bark is added. This process is repeated until the bark is completely leached out, i.e. detached from all coloring components. The resulting broth is then boiled down with wine and sometimes thickened with tree resin and dried in the sun in a parchment bag. To write, you dissolve the powdery substance in warm wine. ”The powdery concentrate had an almost unlimited shelf life.

Web links

From the ink source writings for art history and… - Schedula diversarum artium. Translated and provided with an introduction by Albert Ilg . Vienna 1874.