2020 Essays

Color of Gold without Gold on Silver

Foyer, Emilie

Ms. Fr. 640 contains several recipes detailing techniques to imitate the optical properties of gold using less precious materials. Of these, two recipes (fols. 29v and 57r) detail the making of a “color of gold without gold on silver” by applying a golden colored varnish over silver leaf. The varnish derives its tint from terra merita, which the author-practitioner identifies as “turmeric root” (racine de cucurme) on fol. 148r. Yet much remains mysterious about terra merita, its preparation, and its use in the history of craft practice. This essay reconstructs the turmeric-based “gold without gold on silver,” and it investigates the occurrence of terra merita in artisanal texts and the use of yellow varnishes to color metals.