Vert de Vessie

This has been translated as ‘sap green’.

Pigment Glossary Cannon, Joanna, Jo Kirby, and Susie Nash. “Pigment Glossary.” In Trade in Artists’ Materials: Markets and Commerce in Europe to 1700. London, 2010. Sap green (Pasta verde, Safft grun, Saftgrun, Succj de baccis Spinae, cervinae, verde de vesiga): From the ripe berries of buckthorn (Rhannus cathartica L.) and other Rhannus species; see Buckthorn. The ripe berries are dark purple, almost black in colour, and yield a sticky purple juice; as some polysaccharide (gummy) material is present in the juice the colour can be used directly in watercolour without the addition of any further binding medium. The berries were boiled briefly in a little water and alum was added to the liquid obtained. The colour was often stored tied in a piece of bladder, resulting in the name vert de vesiga or vert de vessie.’ (My bold).

Cotgrave: Verd de Vessie. Sap greene; a green made of Buckthorne Berries. Has been made in the lab – discuss.