MIXTURE DYE RECIPES (REDWOOD, COCK’S COMB & BLACK MULBERRY)

Six sources have described the recipe for redwood (baqqam), cock’s comb (bostān afruz), black mulberry (šahtut) and their mixtures: Resaleh-ye Joharrieh (15th century)  and Resāleh-ye Dar Bayān-e Kāğaḏ Morakkab va Ḥall-e Alvān (15th century), Golzār-e Ṣafā (16th century) and Resāleh dar Bayān-e Ṭarīqeh-ye Sāḵtan-e Morakkab va Kāğaḏ-e Alvān  (16th century), Toḥfe-ye Ḥakim-e Moʾmen (17th century) and Resāleh-ye Dar Maʿrefat-e Kāğaḏ-e Alvān (19th century). All the sources have described the technique to boil redwoods (baqqam), cock’s comb (bostān afruz) and black mulberry (šahtut) to obtain the extract and stress the point that the red dye obtained is not stable.

Resaleh-ye Joharrieh (837 AH/1433 A.D.) in 15th century), Resāleh-ye Dar Bayān-e Kāğaḏ Morakkab va Ḥall-e Alvān in 15th century and Toḥfe-ye Ḥakim-e Moʾmen (1080 A.H./1670 A.D) in 17th century, all describe the technique in the same way as follows:

رنگ سرخ، به آب بقم جوشیده کنند، و به آب گل بستان افروز کنند، که جوشیده بود. و به آب شاه توت. اما این رنگها را بقایی نیست، و زرد و متغیر می شوند ، و کاغذ را درشت و شکننده میکند

For red, boil the redwoods, cock’s comb, and black mulberry to extract the red dye from them, but these dyes are not stable, and the colors change, turning yellow. They make the paper hard and brittle.

In the source Dar Bayān-e Ṭarīqeh-ye Sāḵtan-e Morakkab va Kāğaḏ-e Alvān (16th century) the author describes the technique in more detail as follows:

رنگ سرخ، این را به بَغم[1] کند و آنچنان است که بَغم را ریزه کند و دو شب در آب بگذارد و بعد از آن در آب بجوشاند و سرد سازد و صاف کند و کاغذ را در آن رنگ نهد و ساعتی بگذارد و در سایه خشک کند. امّا این رنگ پایدار نمی باشد و زود تغییر می یابد. و به آبِ شاهتوت نیز سرخ میکنند، امّا شکننده است. و به آبِ بستان اقروز هم رنگ می کنند آن هم بی بقاست

For red, take some redwoods (baqqam) and break them into pieces. Soak them for two days, then boil them for some time, cool it down, and filter it. Dip the paper in the solution for one hour and dry it in the shade. However, this dye is not stable and will change soon. Red can also be dyed with black mulberry, but it makes the paper brittle. They also dye paper with the extract of cock’s comb, but that also is not a stable dye.

In the source, Resāleh-ye Dar Maʿrefat-e Kāğaḏ-e Alvān (19th century) the author explains the technique in even more details to obtain red dye and advise another method to dye the paper to first soak the paper in alum and then dip it in the red dye:

که به آب بقّم کنند، و آن چنان باید که بقم را بکوبند نرم، دو شبانه روز در آب کنند، و بعد بجوشانند آن قدرکه گوشت گاو بپزند، و سرد سازند، و کاغذ را اوّل به آب زاج ترکی برآرند، و چون خشک شود به این آب رنگ کنند و در سایه خشک کنند. اما این رنگ پایدار نیست، زود برود. نوع دیگر: به آب گلِ بستان افروز نزدیک کنند و آن هم بی بقا باشد

Take some redwood (baqqam) and grind it until it becomes soft and powdered. Soak it in water for two days and boil it. The boiling time must equal the time that a piece of beef needs to be fully cooked. Then let it cool. For dyeing paper, first apply water of alum (zāj-e-torkī). Let it dry, and then dip the paper in the obtained red dye from baqqam. Finally, dry the paper in the shade. But this dye is not stable and fades very fast. The other option is to dye with the extract of cock’s comb, but that one is also not a stable dye.

Seyrafi describes in Golzār-e Ṣafā (950 A.H./1543 A.D.) in 16th century, the process for obtaining red by boiling the mixture of all three ingredients baqam, bostān-afruz and šahtut in the same ratio to extract the red dye for dyeing paper. He also stresses the point that the red dye obtained is not stable:

كاغذ ار سرخ كني بهر كتاب           رنگ از روي خود و اشكم ياب

آب گير ازگل بستان افروز              و زمن اين رنگ بخوبي آموز

آب شهتوت و ديگر آب بقم            هر سه در وزن برابر با هم

ضم كن و هيچ مكن زان بيمي       بس بجوشان كه شود كم نيمي

رنگ كن هم به طريق اول             كه بگفتيم به وجهي مجمل

لیک این گونه مدارش نبود             چون دگر رنگ قرارش نبود

If you seek red-hued paper for your tome,
Color extracted, tears from my own.

From redwoods, cock's comb, mulberry so black,
In equal parts, their essence we track.

Boil them together, let the mixture steep,
Reduced by half, in its depths, secrets keep.

Follow the steps, the dyeing unfold,
Yet be aware, its permanence untold.

In equal ratios, the dyes shall dance,
A fleeting hue, in life's fleeting trance.

[1] Baqqam ( بقم ) is written in also another way in this recipe bagham (بَغم) both are referring to redwood.