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Colour and Ink Characterization of Ottoman Diplomatic Documents Dating from the 13th to the 20th Century

Abstract This study investigates the colours and inks used in diplomatic documents of the Ottoman Empire dating from the 13th to the 20th century. Elemental and spectroscopic analyses were carried out on more than 150 documents using μ-XRF, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy; 10 documents were selected representatively for each century. In addition to the characterization of colour and ink, their use and distribution through the centuries is discussed. Analysis showed the presence of minium, vermilion, red ochre and cochineal (red pigments); lapis lazuli (ultramarine blue), azurite (blue verditer), Prussian blue and smalt (blue pigments); malachite and green earth (green pigments); massicot and yellow lead (yellow respectively orange pigments) and basic lead carbonate and zinc oxide (white pigments). All illuminations were ornamented with gold to demonstrate the power of the Empire and the Emperor. Texts were written in iron gall- and carbon-based black ink (carbon black/soot), cochineal (red) ink and gold.