Jain Journal 1970 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 28

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JAIN JOURNAL
was not used but in miniatures on paper, it was however, a favourite blue.
Yellow
In the Visnudharmottara Purāna orpiment (haritāla) is mentioned as one of the colouring materials. In the medieval Indian palm-leaf manuscripts orpiment was used for correction and as a yellow pigment. Two kinds of orpiments, dagadi and vargi, are known and only the latter is used as a pigment. The orpiment is throughly levigated to the consistency of fine wheat flour and sifted. This powder is again levigated with the gum Arabic solution.
Orpiment is a sulphide of arsenic and found in nature as stone. Its colour is light, vivid yellow, sometimes pure yellow, but more often slightly inclined towards orange. In its natural state, it has a mica like sparkle which recalls the lusture of gold.
Peori. It is certain that peori was never used as yellow in the miniatures of the palm-leaf period and no Sanskrit text makes any allusion to it. It seems that the colour was introduced from Persia. It is equally favourite as orpiment in the miniature on paper after 1400 A.D. The peori was obtained from urine of the cow fed on mango leaves for a few days. The urine was boiled and after the water was evaporated, the sediments was rolled into balls, which were dried at first on charcoal and then in the sun. The colour is deep yellow and very pleasing to the eye.
Green
White, black, red, blue and yellow are the basic colours according to the Silpaśāstras. The rest of the colour shades were obtained by admixtures. Green was used in palm-leaf paintings not as a separate colour, its shades being obtained by admixtures. After 14th century, however, several greens seem to have added to the palette of the painter.
Terraverte. The different varieties of green earth yielded rather a dull transparent green soapy in texture.
Harābhāļā or Harādhābā seems to have malachite green. This mineral occurs in several modifications in nature.
Zangāl Verdigris is an acetate of copper prepared by pieces of copper with vinegar.