PURPLE (BANAFSH)
The recipe for purple shade of colour is described in Majmu’at al-sanaye (1005 A.H. /1596 A.D) as follows:
بنفش گلی نیله هست که در کنار باغها که دیوان ارحاد سوخته اند میمانند و پیچیده بالا میرود از در و نیکست آب او رنگ لاجورد است و پای او سفید نیلی میگویند و در خراسان رنگک میخوانند او را بیارند و بکوبند و آب او را صاف کنند کاغذ آل درو تر کنند که بنفش شود
To obtain a purple hue, there is a blue flower known as "nileh" (indigo), which grows alongside gardens, climbing and twining. Its water yields a beautiful blue lapis color. The base of this flower is called "sefeed-e nili" (white nili), and in Khorassan, it is referred to as "rangak." The flowers are harvested, pounded, and their dye is extracted and filtered. Subsequently, immerse an āl paper in this extract to achieve a purple shade.
Experiment:
Dye a paper using the āl paper technique with red safflower extract. Subsequently, dip the paper in indigo dye to achieve the desired purple shade of color through the double dye bath method. Take out the paper and let it dry in the shade.