The Chemistry of the Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is a spectacularly illuminated gospel manuscript dating from around 800AD and held in Trinity College library in Dublin. Some idea of the colours achieved can be seen below.

I thought it would be of interest to list how these colours were achieved.

Black ink was made from oak-galls mixed with iron sulfate and acetic acid from wine or vinegar. Carbon-black ink was used less frequently
Greens made by mixing arsenic sulfide and indigo (extracted from the Woad plant) or using verdigris, which is a copper carbonate or chloride.
Red dots were made from red lead, or Pb₃O₄.
Blue used indigo, not lapis lazuli.
White was gypsum or calcium sulfate.
Yellow was arsenic sulfide, known as auripigmentum since it had a lustrous golden quality.
Purple came from a lichen (Roccella tinctoria) which is better known to chemists as a source of litmus; the basic chromophore of which is 7-hydroxyphenoxazone.

If you ever visit Dublin, do go and see the manuscript for yourself.

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Henry Rzepa

Henry Rzepa is Emeritus Professor of Computational Chemistry at Imperial College London.
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Tags: Biblical manuscripts, Book design, Book of Kells, Books, City: Dublin, County Meath, Dublin, Hospitality/Recreation, Illuminated manuscript, Kells, Manuscripts, Trinity College, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity College Library, Trinity College Library Dublin, Western art, Woad plant

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