Cennino Cennini also recommends a grass green made by mixing orpiment (sulphuret of arsenic) and indigo.
One of the best and most commonly used greens was made by a mixture of smalto blue and yellow ochre; other mixtures were also used.
Red pigments. Red and blue are by far the most important of the colours used in illuminated manuscripts, and it is wonderful to see what variety of effect is often produced by the use of these two colours only.
| Vermilion and minium. |
Vermilion and minium.The chief red pigments used by illuminators are vermilion (cinnabar or sulphuret of mercury) and red lead (minium), from which the words miniator and miniature were derived, as is explained above at page [31][[273]].
Both these pigments are very brilliant and durable reds, the more costly vermilion is the more beautiful of the two; it has a slightly orange tint.
| Mixed reds. |
Mixed reds.Illuminators commonly used the two colours mixed. One receipt recommends one-third of red lead combined with two-thirds of vermilion; Jehan le Begue's manuscript, § 177 (Mrs Merrifield's edition, Vol. I. page 141). Vermilion was prepared by slowly heating together metallic mercury with sulphur. Red lead (a protoxide of lead) was made by roasting white lead or else litharge (ordinary lead oxide) till it absorbed a larger proportion of oxygen.
| Ochre reds. |
Ochre reds.Rubrica or Indian red was a less brilliant pigment, which also was largely used in illuminated manuscripts, especially for headings, notes and the like, which were hence called rubrics. Rubrica is a fine variety of red ochre, an earth naturally coloured by oxide of iron[[274]]; another variety was called bole Armeniac. In classical times the rubrica of Sinope was specially valued for its fine colour.