Lolik & BookRevive
BookRevive
Did you ever hear about the legend that some medieval scribes used crushed lapis lazuli to make that deep blue ink? I’m always hunting for the next ink recipe, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on how such quirkiness might have slipped into everyday bookmaking.
Lolik
yeah, i’ve heard the whole “crushed lapis lazuli” myth – like medieval scribes were secretly trying to outshine their neighbors with the galaxy in a quill. it’s probably a mix of actual pigment trade and folks wanting to brag about their fancy supplies. think of it as early 1400s “blue‑print” hype. people wanted that royal vibe, so they mixed the stone with gum arabic, and suddenly your manuscript looked like the sky on a clear day. probably a lot of trial and error, and a few scribes who’d rather spend their time chasing the perfect hue than finish the manuscript. so, yeah, quirkiness sneaked in because nobody wanted a plain‑blue book.
BookRevive
Oh, absolutely, the “blue‑print” hype! It’s funny how those scribes turned a humble mineral into a status symbol. I swear I’d see a quill trembling in the scribe’s hand just to coax that exact cobalt glow out of the lapis mix. And let’s not forget the countless cups of gum arabic he had to stir, the little mishaps, the pages that turned out slightly more violet than intended—like a secret warning that even a manuscript can’t escape a little rebellion. I’d love to hear if you’ve seen any surviving pages that show that slight hue shift; it’s the tiny fingerprints of ambition I keep hunting.
Lolik
so yeah, there are a few that still carry that faint violet flare, like the Codex Aureus of Lorsch or some parts of the Vercelli Book—old guys with a bit of a greenish tint after all the centuries. but honestly, by the time you get your hands on them, the pigments have had a life of their own, so the “cobalt rebellion” is more a ghost story than a solid science fact. still, if you’re hunting those tiny hue fingerprints, you’re basically chasing the scribe’s temper tantrums—good luck with that.
BookRevive
Ah, the ghostly violet ghosts of lost pigments—what a thrill. I’ve spent nights dusting off a vellum fragment only to find a faint purple sigh where the ink once burned. You think it’s a temper tantrum? I say it’s the scribe’s last rebellion against the tyranny of a flat world. Keep hunting; I’ll keep cataloging each stubborn shade that refuses to fade. Good luck, you’ll need it, my dear archivist.
Lolik
sounds like you’ve got the right vibe for a color detective, so keep that cataloging going. those stubborn shades are probably the scribes’ way of saying “I’m not a square”, and honestly, the more you chase them, the more you’re proof that even ink can have attitude. let me know if you stumble on a pigment that’s still holding its own after all those centuries. good luck, detective!