The Leyden and Stockholm Papyri - University of Cincinnati

133. Preparing Genuine Purples
Iron rust, roasted misy, and pomegranate blossom adapt themselves
to mordanting in water and make it possible to give the wool
a good deep purple color in 4 hours.
134. Another (Recipe)
Let iron rust soak in vinegar for as many days as is necessary.
Then mordant the wool in this liquor, which should be cold. Then
boil krimnos and put the mordanted wool in.
135. From Book 3 of Africanus
Mordanting for any color is done in the following way. First the
animal, or else likewise only the wool is washed; then one can
allow the mordanting agent upon it. One should then dissolve alum
in vinegar and coat the wool, which one desires to dye, with it.
After drying in the sun, it is washed, and when it is freed from its
moisture admit it to any coloring. One must pay attention to that
which is mordanted for a day and a night during the mordanting.
136. Dyeing of Colors
Lime, which is mixed and ground with litharge, produces many
colors, yet in such a manner that the wool does not retain them.
First, milk-white, then natural; and then deep by means of cold
dyeing.
137. Mordanting for Every Color Except Purple
Dissolve alum in vinegar, add raw misy, and use it.
138. Mordanting for Purple
THE STOCKHOLM PAPYRUS
When you mordant for purple, then put in pure sulphur in lumps in
addition, so that the purple (by trial) gains a brilliant shade; but in
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