The “Sandbox” space makes available a number of resources that utilize and explore the data underlying "Secrets of Craft and Nature in Renaissance France. A Digital Critical Edition and English Translation of BnF Ms. Fr. 640" created by the Making and Knowing Project at Columbia University.
Reece Brown
Spring 2023
HIST GU4962: Making and Knowing in Early Modern Europe: Hands-On History
Adapted from chapter 5, “Recipes,” of Jo Kirby et al, Natural Colorants for Dyeing and Lake Pigments: Practical Recipes and their Historical Sources (Archetype, London, 2014).
Dyestuff (cochineal)
mordant (alum)
Mortar and pestle
Coffee filter
Water
Textile - 25 g cotton bandana
Thermometer
Stirring stick
Plate
Textile (weight of fiber - WOF) : mordant (alum) : water
1g : 0.2g : 50g
Textile : cochineal : water
1 : 1.25g : 62.5g
Measure out water into pot
Add alum and stir
Place beaker onto hot plate and turn on to medium-low
Stir to dissolve alum in the water
Pre-wet textiles with water and wring them out to remove water
Add textiles when alum solution reaches 70º C
Heat the textiles for 20 minutes at 80-90º C, stirring occasionally to ensure homogenous absorption
Remove textiles, then rinse them thoroughly in cold water
Using mortar and pestle, crush dyestuffs to a fine powder or into small pieces
Measure out water and pour into pot
Add dyestuffs to drawstring bag, close tightly, add bag to water
Place pot on stove, at medium-low
Heat the bath (without the textiles) at 80-90 °C for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
After 30 minutes, remove dyestuffs in drawstring bag
Add textiles to the dye bath (it is usually best to pre-wet textiles with water before adding)
Heat textiles at 80-90 °C for 20 min, stirring occasionally to ensure homogeneous dyeing
After 20 minutes, remove the textiles from the bath
Being careful not to damage (or, if using wool, to felt the textile), wash textiles with clean water to remove any dye that has not bound to them
When the water runs clear over the textiles and no color comes off the textiles, wring out excess water
Lay out the textiles to dry
On a separate piece of paper, write a paragraph about the experience using one of the guiding questions below:
How can we connect art, science, and nature through sustainable practices?
What is the value in reconstructing historical procedures?
What is the importance of understanding where materials come from?
What went differently than expected? How did you react to these situations?