How is the ancient vermilion dye infected?

Cinnabar red is a very important color in Chinese traditional colors.

Cinnabar, also known as Cinnabar, Red Cinnabar, Red Cinnabar and Mercury Sand, is a natural ore of mercury sulfide (chemical name: HgS). Bright red, with diamond luster to metallic luster, belonging to ternary crystal system. It is the main raw material of ancient alchemy, and can also be used to make pigments and medicines. The red color dyed with this pigment is very pure and bright and can last for a long time.

China has a long history of using cinnabar as a pigment. "Painting cinnabar Oracle Bone Inscriptions" refers to grinding cinnabar into red powder and embedding it in the notch of Oracle Bone Inscriptions to show eye-catching. This practice has a history of thousands of years. Roses and bright colors are also loved by painters. China's paintings and calligraphy are called "Danqing", in which "Dan" refers to cinnabar, which is an indispensable "eight treasures inkpad" in painting and calligraphy pigments, and its main component is also cinnabar.

When in use, it is best to melt it with water, first grind it with your fingers in the dish for a while, and then use it after it feels moist and delicate. Pay attention to its thickness, and don't apply it too thick at a time. When the thickness is not enough, you can increase the number of smearing. Spread it flat for about 3 layers, cover it with alum water, then dye it with eosin and then dye it with local rouge. The key point is, after the above, dye the whole cover with eosin (a waterline can be left at the edge of the petals), and finally coat the whole layer with a faint eosin.

The red color dyed with this pigment is very pure and bright. The Biography of Historical Records of Huo Zhi records the story of a widow named Qing. Her ancestors dug up the Dan mine in Fuling, Chongqing and managed it for generations, becoming a famous local tycoon. It can be seen that this red pigment was widely used in Qin and Han Dynasties. 1972, among a large number of painted printed silk fabrics unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, many patterns were drawn with vermilion. These vermilion particles are finely ground and buried evenly, but the color of the fabric is still very bright. It can be seen that the technical level of refining and using cinnabar in the Western Han Dynasty was quite superb.