Difference between revisions of "Iron gall ink"

From CAMEO
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 12: Line 12:
 
[[[SliderGallery rightalign|Iron gall ink (primarily gallic acid).PNG~FTIR (MFA)]]]
 
[[[SliderGallery rightalign|Iron gall ink (primarily gallic acid).PNG~FTIR (MFA)]]]
  
== Other Properties ==
+
== Physical and Chemical Properties ==
  
 
Iron-gallotannate is insoluble in water, ethanol, ether  Some colored additives may be soluble in water and organic solvents.
 
Iron-gallotannate is insoluble in water, ethanol, ether  Some colored additives may be soluble in water and organic solvents.
  
== Additional Information ==
+
== Resources and Citations ==
  
[http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/ink/ Iron Gall Ink Corrosion Website]
+
* The Ink Corrosion Website at http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/ink/intro.html
 
 
== Sources Checked for Data in Record ==
 
 
 
* Website address 2  Comment: The Ink Corrosion Website at http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/ink/intro.html
 
  
 
* R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, ''Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia'', Dover Publications, New York, 1966
 
* R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, ''Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia'', Dover Publications, New York, 1966
Line 32: Line 28:
 
* Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, ''Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology'', U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
 
* Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, ''Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology'', U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
  
* Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com  Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_gall_ink (Accessed Jan. 25, 2006)
+
* Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_gall_ink (Accessed Jan. 25, 2006)
  
* Website address 1  Comment: AMOL reCollections Glossary - http://amol.org.au/recollections/7/i/htm
+
* AMOL reCollections Glossary - http://amol.org.au/recollections/7/i/htm
  
 
* Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000
 
* Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000

Revision as of 12:58, 15 August 2020

59.1008-SC25151.jpg

Description

A black ink predominantly used from the 9th century until it was replaced by synthetic inks in the late 19th century. Iron gall inks contain Ferrous sulfate and Gall extracts (gallotannic acid and gallic acid) in an aqueous solution of gum arabic. Gallotannic acid reacts with iron in solution to form iron gallotannate. The brown solution is used as an ink. As it dries on the paper or parchment, the ink oxidizes to a permanent deep blue-black color. Lampblack, Logwood (red), Indigo (blue), or later, Aniline black, colorants were sometimes added to the ink to provide an initial dark color. Over time, iron gall inks can interact with paper causing severe degradation. Citric acid, Oxalic acid, and Potassium oxalate have been mentioned as sequestering agents to remove iron gall inks, but any addition of an acid to degraded paper or parchment is not recommended.

Iron gall ink

Synonyms and Related Terms

iron gallotannate; Eisengallustinte (Deut.); Gallustinte (Deut.); encre ferrogallique (Fr.); sidirogalliko melani (Gr.); inchiostro metallo gallico (It.); inchiostro di noce di galla (It.); ijzergallusinkt (Ned.); tinta ferrogálica (Port.); ferric tannate; iron tannate; acid ink; iron-gall ink; iron-gall nut ink

FTIR (MFA)

Iron gall ink (primarily gallic acid).PNG


Physical and Chemical Properties

Iron-gallotannate is insoluble in water, ethanol, ether Some colored additives may be soluble in water and organic solvents.

Resources and Citations

  • R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966
  • Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986
  • A Glossary of Paper Conservation Terms, Margaret Ellis (ed.), Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York City, 1998
  • Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

Retrieved from "https://cameo.mfa.org/index.php?title=Iron_gall_ink&oldid=78952"