What gall!
Iron gall ink is one of the most historically ubiquitous plant-based pigments. The black-brown ink has been used for centuries due in part to the ease of producing it. “Galls” are growths that develop from the leaf buds of trees – commonly oak – after a gall wasp lays her eggs. A chemical reaction occurs during the development and feeding of the gall wasp larvae, creating the hard gall to protect the larvae as they grow. While recipes for iron gall ink vary, key ingredients include galls, iron sulfate, water, and gum arabic.
Bifolium from an antiphonary from Northern Italy with musical notations and decorated initials, 15th century.
A liturgical book used in the Catholic Church, an antiphonary (or antiphonal) contains verses to be sung before or after a psalm or canticle during the Mass. The verses are referred to as antiphons, giving the document its name. This antiphonary is written in iron gall ink, and was used to celebrate the Annunciation – when the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced she would become the mother of Jesus Christ.
Obtained in April 1885 for A. D. White from Dotti of Florence.