Persian recipes: dyeing paper

An intricate mixing and dosing of organic dyes created a profusion of attractive colours. Yellows were obtained with saffron and turmeric; reds with kermes insects, madder roots, wood of trees like brazilwood and safflower petals. Indigo yielded blues whilst henna, with its antiseptic properties, was used to protect paper and add a warm tone to it. Mineral pigments such as verdigris, orpiment and white lead were also used, as well as other additives such as the juice of pomegranate or lemon.

Historical sources from the Timurid, the Safawid and the Qajar eras (15th to 19th century) reveal that books were generally made with dyed paper. Beyond its aesthetic appeal dyed paper was considered beneficial to the eyesight whilst white paper was deemed harmful.

In his famous treatise Golzār-e Ṣafā (16th century CE) Ṣeyrafī, a renowned expert of the Safawid period, writes:

'Dyed paper is better, for white surely harms the eyesight a hundred times; it is not favourable to hurt the eyes, to refrain from writing on uncoloured paper is wise. First, dye the paper to beauty, so that your hand and eyes remain fine; since I expect you to scale great heights in this art, I provided this short text for your sake.'

In his treatise Ṣerāt al-Ṣoṭur (1514 CE) Soltān Ali Mašhadi writes about the relation between the colour of the paper and the ink:

'Colours like red, yellow and white strike the eyes as if staring at the sun. For calligraphy, temperate colours shall be used because they relax the eyes. Coloured lines are good on dark paper. Write on red paper with white colour to make your writing elegant. On blue paper, writing with white is pleasant.'

Saffron yellow paper

Saffron, Crocus sativus L., has been cultivated since antiquity and has always been a very sought after, and expensive product valued for its dyeing properties as well as for its flavour and aroma. Today the Khorasan province, in the north-eastern part of Iran, is one of its main areas of production. The orange-red stigmas of this perennial flower once dried and soaked in water yield a remarkably vivid yellow. This colourant can be used to dye paper without mordant, making it a very easy to use direct dye.

Experiment

Ingredients

2g saffron
160ml water
1:80 ratio

Grind 2g of saffron in a pestle and mortar or electric blender.
Transfer in a glass jar and pour in 160 ml of boiling water.
Stir, cover and let it rest for an hour.
Filter the mixture to extract the saffron dye and pour it in a tray.
Dip the paper into the dye bath and keep it for 5 minutes.
Take it out and let it dry in the shade to obtain a deep colour.

Sources

Passage from Ṣeyrafī’s Golzār-e Ṣafā (16th century CE):

'My face turned yellow in the grief of your separation. Soreness struck my heart with profound devastation. If you crave for a paper that has a tint of yellow. Gaze at the lamenting face of this poor fellow. Grind one misqāl pure bitter saffron and place it in a glass. Add one sīr of water and close the lid tightly. Keep it for three days in the sunlight. After three days, its yellow colour will be extracted and the remains will stay white. Filter the syrup with a piece of cloth, pour it into a china bowl and let it precipitate. Then pour it into a clean vessel and dip the papers in it thoroughly. Dry the papers by hanging them over a rope in the shade. Remember not to dry papers in the sun. After drying, size and burnish the papers.'

A beaker of red liquid and a pestle and mortar containing a reddish paste of ground saffron

A piece of yellow paper with a red edge is removed from a tub of red dye

Four pieces of paper attached with paper clips to a line, dyed in shades of orange and yellow

Turmeric yellow paper with lemon and ash

Turmeric, Curcuma longa L., like saffron, is an edible spice, which is widely used for dyeing purposes and can be cultivated in most tropical and subtropical countries. The fresh or dried orange-yellow rhizomes of this perennial plant are ground into powder and added to a slightly alkaline bath to create the brightest of natural yellow dyes. This golden colourant of high tinctorial strength is unstable in alkaline conditions or if exposed to light.

Experiment

Ingredients

20g turmeric
200ml water
1:10 ratio
1g alkaline ash
100ml lemon juice

Take 20g of turmeric roots and grind them in a pestle and mortar or use turmeric powder.
Transfer in a glass jar with 200 ml of water and bring it to the boil.
Stir and filter the mixture to extract the turmeric dye.
Take 1g of alkaline ash, grind it and add a small amount of lukewarm water to dilute it. Filter the alkaline solution and add it to the filtered turmeric dye.
Stir the mixture and pour it in a tray. Meanwhile, prepare two other trays one with filtered water and the other with filtered lemon juice.
First, dip the paper in the turmeric and ash dye bath.
If a deep yellow is required, repeat the process as many times as needed until the desired colour is obtained.
If a light yellow is required, add more water until you get the right colour. After that, take out the paper from the dye bath, dip it in the lemon juice and agitate well until it is well soaked. Take out the paper from the lemon juice, dip it in the water and wash it thoroughly. Take it out and let it dry in the shade.

Sources

Passage from Resāleh-ye Dar Bayān-e Rang Kardan-e Kāğaḏ (19th century C.E.) by anonymous author:

'Take half istār pure yellow turmeric and grind it coarsely. Then place it in a big pot. Add nearly 5 istār water and bring it to boil. Filter it through a piece of muslin cloth. Then take some alkaline ash (ašḵār) and grind it. Pass it through a piece of muslin cloth and add it to the filtered turmeric water. Hand-mix the mixture and pour it in an open mouth vessel, so that the paper does not tear and fold. Take two other flat bowls and pour filtered water in one and filtered lemon juice in another. First dip paper in the turmeric water thoroughly. If a deep yellow is required, repeat the process as many times as needed until the desired colour is obtained. If a light yellow is required, add more water until you get the right colour. After that, take out the paper from the turmeric dye, dip it in the lemon juice and agitate well until it fully penetrates the paper. Take out the paper from the lemon juice, dip it in the water vessel and wash it thoroughly. Take it out and let it dry in the shade.'

A glass dish containing three pieces of turmeric root

A piece of yellow paper is removed from a tub of yellow dye

An open book with handwritten script and pages dyed in shades of yellow

Henna dyed umber paper

Henna, Lawsonia inermis L., is a dye plant used since antiquity. Native to Western India, it can be cultivated in most of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The leaves of this shrub are dried and ground into a greenish powder that can be used to dye paper a beautiful orange or dark brown colour with a reddish-orange tone, and impart antiseptic properties.

Experiment

Ingredients

20g henna
200ml water
1:10 ratio

Pour 200ml of boiling water on 20g of henna powder.
Stir, cover and soak for an hour.
Filter the mixture to extract the henna dye. Pour the obtained colourant into a tray.
Dip the paper for 15 minutes or longer depending on the colour required. Take out the paper and dry it in the shade.

Sources

Passage from Majnun Rafigh Heravi’s poetic treatise Adāb al-Mašq (16th century C.E.):

'Oh wonderful son who have love in you and with that love you desire to practice writing; Go and gain the wonderful paper that is crisp, delicate, smooth and has a melodious surface; The beautiful colour that adorns the calligraphy comes from henna dye and saffron.'

Passage from Resāleh Dar Bayān-e Kāğaḏ Morakkab va Ḥall-e Alvān (15th century C.E.) by an anonymous author:

'Heat a few clean free unbeaten henna leaves in water for a while. Keep it for one full day and then filter it to get the extract of henna leaves. To get the best result, add 10 sīrs water and one sīr of henna. If more water is added, the colour becomes dull and dusty (mālleh).'

A manuscript page written in Arabic which has been dyed a pale yellow

Safflower red, peach and yellow paper with ash and lemon

Safflower, Carthamus tinctorius L., was used as a dye since antiquity and, native to the area between Northern India and the Near East, was commonly cultivated in dry climates.

The bright orange florets of this annual spiky plant are collected, dried and crushed to create a range of colours from yellow to olive to beautiful pinks and reds. The deep reds were especially expensive to obtain, as they required a vast amount of flowers and countless dye baths. Safflower contains the red colourant carthamin which is insoluble in water but soluble in alkalis and a number of water soluble yellow colourants.

Experiment

5g safflower
1g alkaline ash (ašḵār)
5:1 ratio
20ml lemon juice

Take 5g of safflower petals. Grind them thoroughly with a pestle and mortar or electric blender.
Transfer in a muslin cloth and close it tightly to form a sac.
Wash with cold water until all the yellow colourant is extracted.
To verify that all the yellow colourant is removed take a piece of white cloth and moisten it with the dye releasing from the sac. If you get a yellow stain on the cloth, continue with the washing process. Conversely, if you get a red stain the washing process is complete.
Then squeeze thoroughly the washed safflower in the sac.
Transfer in a mortar, and rub with your fingers.
Add to the mortar 1–2g of alkaline ash, grind them together slowly and continue grinding until the red colourant starts appearing.
Then transfer the mixture back to the muslin sac. Use a pipette to slowly pour warm water over the sac until the safflower dye is extracted.
Separate in three containers the first superior extract from the second and the last. In this way you obtain three different shades tinting the paper from the purest deep red to the adulterated peach colour and reddish yellow.

Use one of these two techniques to prepare the dyeing bath:

1.

Add a small amount of either old vinegar, orange, lemon juice, sour pomegranate or sour dried fruits to a tray with the safflower dye.
Dip the paper in and keep for six hours at least.
Finally take it out and let it dry in the shade to obtain a deeper colour.

2.

Alternatively, pour the safflower dye, the lemon juice and the water in three separate vessels.
First dip the paper in the dye solution, then in the lemon juice and finally rinse it with water.
Take it out and let it dry in the shade.

Sources

Red (sork) paper

Passage from Resāleh Dar Bayān-e Rang Kardan-e Kāğaḏ (19th century CE) by anonymous author:

'Take five istār of fresh and bright safflower. Grind it in a mortar thoroughly. Place the fine powder of safflower in a piece of cloth and close it tightly. Then wash it in river or well water until all its yellow bile is extracted. To make sure that all its bile is removed, the following test shall be done. Take a white piece of cloth and moisten it with the bile of safflower. If a yellow stain appears on the cloth, it means the washing process is not properly done and the process shall be continued. As soon as a red stain appears when moistening the white piece of cloth, the washing process is complete. Then squeeze the washed safflower in the muslin cloth thoroughly, until no moisture is left and you can feel the dryness of the cloth. Take out the squeezed safflower, place it in a mortar, and rub it with your fingers. Add alkaline ash and grind it in the mortar. For each āsār flower, add three āsār alkaline ash and continue grinding until the colour appears. Then put it in the muslin cloth again. Take a narrow pipe and pour water over the pipe slowly until the safflower dye is extracted. The first extract is known as “šahāb-e aʿlāʾ”, the second is called “aowsāṭ” and the last extract is known as “ʿadnī”. For dyeing paper, take three vessels. Pour dye, lemon juice and water in each vessel separately. First dip paper in the dye solution, then in the lemon juice and finally rinse with water. Dry the dyed paper in shade.'