Day 30 - Indigo for Paint and Ink

image:inbedwithmonalisa.com

After the indigo plant was fermented and dried into cakes it was primarily used to dye textiles.

But the dried cakes were also ground into a fine powder and highly sought after as a pigment for paint and ink. In early Medieval times parchment was dyed with indigo then used as a writing surface. The parchment shown below is a page from  the Blue Qur'an, dating from the late 9th to early 10th century, North Africa (Tunisia), gold and silver on indigo dyed parchment. The indigo strengthened the paper and acted as a natural insect repellent, preserving religious texts and manuscripts.

               

        top image: historyofnaturalartpigments.weebly.com                                bottom:  Vermeer: Girl With the Pearl Earring

Painters also experimented with indigo pigment, mixing it with various mediums like marble powder, egg shells, urine, wine, and oils trying to make a stable paint that wouldn't fade. Indigo paint was used for painting on cloth, pottery, pastel crayons and frescoes. During the 17th century indigo powder was less expensive than the ultramarine and azurite pigments and used in combination with indigo to extend the amount of blue pigment used for paint. 

Indigo when used for ink was a much simpler process it mixed easily, flowed well and was colorfast. 

                  

   image: biohue.com                                                                                          image: corkartsupplies.com