Persian calligraphers had taught its use afresh to
the Byzantine scribes.
If, as we may believe, the first object of the Roman miniatores was
distinctness combined with beauty, we may now believe that the object of
the Byzantine scribes was splendour. The progress had been from mere
"cheirography" to calligraphy; now it was from calligraphy to
chrysography and arguriography.
This employment of gold and silver inks may be looked upon as the first
step in the art of illumination as practised in the Middle Ages. And the
preliminary to the use of metallic inks was attention to the tint of the
vellum. The pioneers in this career of luxury no doubt had observed that
very white vellum fatigued the eye. Hence, at first, they tinted or
stained it with saffron, on one side at least, sometimes on both. Once
begun, the tinting of the vellum extended to other colours. For works of
the highest rank the favourite was a fine purple, the imperial colour of
the Roman and Greek emperors. For chrysography, or gold-writing, the
tint was nearly what we call crimson. For arguriography, or
silver-writing, it became the bluish hue we call grape-purple. On the
cooled purples vermilion ink was used instead of, or together with, the
gold or silver.
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