Conservator Cheryl Porter has spent years studying the pigments of medieval and early modern manuscripts, partly by trying to make them herself from old recipes. Her work took her to Armenia, where Ararat cochineal is made from the body of a female insect, Porphyrophora hamelii, and it takes months of soaking in alcohol to remove the fat. Saffron requires at least 60,000 stigmas to make 1 gram of yellow pigment. Vermilion, a bright red, was made by combining mercury and sulphur, and its use in medicine for syphilis and other illnesses often caused more harm than good. Indigo was used as a dye from at least 500 CE and was a closely guarded trade secret. Many colours had medical uses and could be bought at the pharmacy.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.