object
Litharge
Litharge is the yellow oxide of lead collected from silver cupellation furnaces and kept among Roman metal remedies as a distinct plaster ingredient, not the raw ore.
Admitted autonomously from source pliny-nh (NH 34 (fixture paraphrase of lead furnace oxide)).
Discovery method: OPEN_WORLD_SOURCE_EXTRACTION.
Extraction reason: Identity clause (“X is a/an …”) in source passage.
Identifying passage: Litharge is the yellow oxide of lead collected from silver cupellation furnaces and kept among Roman metal remedies as a distinct plaster ingredient, not the raw ore.
Roman religion
Litharge appears in Roman religion.
Pliny’s Natural History seats litharge among yellow lead oxides gathered from silver cupellation and furnace craft beyond shoe-blue pharmacy rows alone. A named litharge craft encyclopedia seat, not massicot as the soft pigment form already walked in dye and not metallic lead alone.
from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE
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Litharge is used in Dye.
Pliny’s Natural History treats litharge among lead-oxide yellows entering pigment and coloring craft beside massicot neighborhoods. A named litharge pigment use in that encyclopedia, not massicot-dye-pliny as the soft form already walked and not litharge medicine as pharmacy alone.
from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE
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Litharge is historically related to Linseed oil.
In Henley’s formulas, silver litharge is boiled with raw linseed oil and white lead — the litharge helps the oil body into a quick-drying elastic mass for leather and varnish grounds.
from Gardner Dexter Hiscox (ed.) · Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes, 1914 (Gutenberg #53143; PD in the USA)
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Litharge is used in Vinegar.
In Culpeper’s English Physician, litharge is boiled with vinegar, ceruse, and oil to the thickness of honey — the vinegar cut works the lead paste into a plaister body.
from Nicholas Culpeper · The English Physician, 1652 (and later PD editions)
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Litharge is historically related to Lead.
In Ure’s Dictionary, lead for assay must be entirely free from silver, being such as has been revived from pure litharge — litharge is revived into that lead.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Litharge is historically related to Minium.
In Ure’s Dictionary, metallic fluxes for glass colours include minium or litharge added to calcined sand — litharge is used beside that minium flux.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Litharge is historically related to Silver.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, first-order fluxes include litharge with the slags of gold, silver, copper, and lead — litharge fluxes beside that silver slag.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Charcoal.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, the smelter charges ore mixed with litharge and hearth-lead into the furnace, then a wicker basket full of charcoal — litharge is smelted with that charcoal charge.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Sulfur.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, when furnace fumes are yellow, litharge and sulphur should be added together — litharge is charged with that sulphur.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Antimony.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, after the abstrich that carries antimony impurities, the litharge comes over in the next cupellation stage — litharge follows that antimony scum in the same run.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Soap.
In Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, oil is boiled with finely powdered litharge, strained, and allowed to stand until the soap turns clear — litharge boils into that soap.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Litharge is historically related to Alum.
In Dunglison’s Medical Lexicon, the ancient anicetum plaster for achores was formed of litharge, cerusse, thus, alum, turpentine, white pepper, and oil — litharge is compounded with that alum.
from Robley Dunglison · Medical Lexicon, 1874 (and earlier PD eds.)
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Litharge is historically related to Varnish.
In Theophilus Divers Arts, amber varnish is finished by cooking in an enormous quantity of litharge - litharge is cooked into that varnish.
from Theophilus Presbyter · On Divers Arts, c. early 12th century
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Litharge is historically related to Ladle.
In Agricola De Re Metallica, after litharge is thrown into the furnace to free metal from accretions, the lead alloy is taken out with a ladle - litharge work ends in that ladle pour.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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In Agricola De Re Metallica, a powerful flux heats white argol with salt and saltpetre in a pot smeared inside with litharge until a white powder forms.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Ash.
In Agricola De Re Metallica, assayers who lack litharge substitute lead ash made by throwing sulphur into melted lead until the metal turns to powder.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Camphor.
In Agricola De Re Metallica, a flux powder compounds litharge with camphor ground with sulphur among saltpetre, vitriol, and argol.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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In Agricola De Re Metallica, when furnace fumes are black, the smelter adds melted salt or iron slag together with litharge and white lime rock.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Vitriol.
In Agricola De Re Metallica, a flux powder compounds litharge with vitriol among saltpetre, argol, and camphor ground with sulphur.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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In Agricola De Re Metallica, after parting silver, the lute with lead added is heated in an earthen crucible then re-melted in a cupel, while sand is mixed with litharge for the same recovery.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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In Agricola De Re Metallica, if ore will not melt, yellow litharge is mixed with the fluxes and stirred in the crucible with a hot iron rod until all melts.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Sand.
In Agricola De Re Metallica, first-order fluxes name litharge with hearth-lead and galena beside sand made from stones that melt easily in hot furnaces.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Copper.
In Agricola De Re Metallica, the same first-order flux list pairs litharge with copper roasted or in leaves or filings among lead ashes and red-lead.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Galena.
In Agricola De Re Metallica, the same first-order flux list sets litharge with galena, ranking galena for ores that melt with greater difficulty.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Turpentine.
In Dunglison’s Medical Lexicon, the plaster Anicetum, extolled by the ancients in achores, was formed of litharge, cerusse, thus, alum, turpentine, white pepper, and oil.
from Robley Dunglison · Medical Lexicon, 1874 (and earlier PD eds.)
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Litharge is historically related to Wine.
In Dunglison’s Medical Lexicon, oil of Nicodemus is made by digesting white wine and olive oil for some time with old turpentine, litharge, aloes, saffron, and oxide of zinc.
from Robley Dunglison · Medical Lexicon, 1874 (and earlier PD eds.)
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Litharge is historically related to Cement.
In Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, a cement that hardens to a stony consistence mixes clean river sand, litharge, and quicklime into a thin putty with linseed oil for mending broken stone.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Litharge is historically related to Olive.
In Dunglison’s Medical Lexicon, Emplastrum Diapalma is a plaster of equal parts of litharge, olive oil, axunge, and water with sulphate of zinc and white wax, and with more olive oil it becomes a cerate.
from Robley Dunglison · Medical Lexicon, 1874 (and earlier PD eds.)
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Litharge is historically related to Plate.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, an iron plate is set against the trestle in front of the cupellation channel lest litharge extracted from the furnace splash the smelter’s shoes and injure his feet and legs.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Litharge is historically related to Porcelain.
In Ure’s Dictionary, Dihl’s cement for coating building fronts takes linseed oil rendered dry by boiling with litharge, then mixed with porcelain clay in fine powder to the consistence of stiff mortar.
from Andrew Ure · Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, 1839 (and later PD editions)
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Litharge is historically related to Nitre.
In Dunglison’s Medical Lexicon, the medicinal stone was a mixture of peroxide of iron, litharge, alum, nitre, sal ammoniac, and vinegar, evaporated and calcined at a red heat for an hour as an astringent.
from Robley Dunglison · Medical Lexicon, 1874 (and earlier PD eds.)
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Litharge is used in Medicine.
At Epidauros Pausanias records litharge among mineral plasters in the healing precinct; attendants apply the furnace oxide in medicinal dressings apart from votive offerings.
from Pausanias · Description of Greece, c. 150–180 CE
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Litharge is used in Offerings.
Litharge used in Offerings. Litharge is the yellow oxide of lead collected from silver cupellation furnaces and kept among Roman metal remedies as a distinct plaster ingredient, not the raw ore. Gifts given to gods, dead, or powers: fire, food, blood, incense, words. The Atlas keeps their meeting local, without dissolving either into a single meaning.
from SHOE.BLUE · SHOE.BLUE, 2026
used in · interpretive · modern interpretation
Litharge is used in Incense.
Litharge used in Incense. Litharge is the yellow oxide of lead collected from silver cupellation furnaces and kept among Roman metal remedies as a distinct plaster ingredient, not the raw ore. Aromatics burned as offering or perfume. The Atlas keeps their meeting local, without dissolving either into a single meaning.
from SHOE.BLUE · SHOE.BLUE, 2026
used in · interpretive · modern interpretation
Tin is historically related to Litharge.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, tin is indicated by large black stones of which tin is made and a dug material resembling litharge — tin is marked beside that litharge.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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Glass is historically related to Litharge.
In Agricola’s De Re Metallica, green furnace fumes call for cakes from cupriferous stones mixed with litharge and glass-galls among the corrective additions.
from Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation) · De Re Metallica, 1556 Latin; Hoover English 1912
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sources
- Natural History · Pliny the Elder
Pliny, Naturalis Historia.
- Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes · Gardner Dexter Hiscox (ed.)
Gardner D. Hiscox (ed.), Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes (1914).
- The English Physician · Nicholas Culpeper
Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician (Complete Herbal).
- Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines · Andrew Ure
Andrew Ure, A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines.
- De Re Metallica · Georgius Agricola; Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (translation)
Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica, trans. Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover (1912).
- Medical Lexicon · Robley Dunglison
Robley Dunglison, Medical Lexicon (Dictionary of Medical Science).
- On Divers Arts · Theophilus Presbyter
Theophilus, On Divers Arts (De diversis artibus / Schedula diversarum artium).
- Description of Greece · Pausanias
Pausanias, Description of Greece.
- SHOE.BLUE · SHOE.BLUE
SHOE.BLUE, Atlas instrument voice.