Practical treatise on painting in oil-colours by Cosmina

*»

•*.

PRACTICAL TREATISE 0

PAINTING 1

OIL-COLOURS.

PRACTICAL TREATISE O N

PAINTING I

OIL-COLOURS.

Painters fpend

many

“ which they might have “

firft

years in the fearch after knowledge, attained in a

little

time, had they hit

on the right path.”

Piles.

LONDON: PRINTED FOR

AND

WHITE, FLEET-STREET.

1795.

PREFACE.

minds already ftored with

formation, whether

in-

be acquired by

the inftruclion of others or

dint of

perfonal application, preceptive books will

be frequently reje&ed.

has been diligently attained often affiduoufly hoarded

;

What is

and pride

and envy co-operate with avarice of

render

the

difficult

and expensive*

progrefs

.n.

too

knowledge

Time,

PREFACE.

Time,

however,

has

wrought a

change in the opinions of men, and

what a few may the

fpife,

embrace.

multitude

now

Happy* indeed*

eagerly are thefe

changes for the generality of

kind

de-

fupercilioufly

human

Arrogance and ignorance are

expelled

the

land

;

and,

one couple, are journeying

and nearly out of

The

to oblivion,

fight

prefent age feems to be, of

others,

linked

diflinguifhed

all

the

for

flrong impulfe which has been given to the

human mind,

whatever has

The

a near relation to philofophy. zeal of fcience

votaries

have

unbounded, and

its

accumulated beyond

the powers of

common

Knowledge and

fade, fo happily

calculation.

com-

bined, have fpread their influence in

aimed

almoft every direction

and have pre-

;

pared the minds of the

riling genera-

tion for the expanfion of Genius,

and

the reception of Truths

judicioufly arranged,

Facts

and

publifhed from time to time as they

accumulate, afe productive of infinite

advantage ftances

for fo

;

few are in circumknowledge,

acquire

and

thofe few fo quickly pafs away, that*

without a fund of

Would be

loft

this fort, all intereft

branch of fcience

Every

mankind. is

much

facilitated

and advanced by ^public communication,

which

prefent,

diftinCtly points out the

and opens a

future* difcoveries.

free channel to

Many

qualified for extending the fcience,

whofe ardor

bounds of

checked by

the failure of experiments*

are well

and who ~

are

PREFACE.

viii 4

are continually mortified to find they

have been long

fince anticipated

others.

Records of this kind

fore, as

fhmulants to general improve-

ment

what

already

not be retraced,

a6t, there-

known need

and what

difco-

vered in future may be occafionally

added

needy and the

thus, the

fident will be taught with

and

eafe,

and myftery

ed and converted into

Hitherto,

will

dif-

ceconomy be unfold-

truth.

the fkilful practice of

Painting in Oil has been chiefly in the poffeffion of a

the

few

;

fo few, as to

works of moderate

to great advantage,

artifls

make

appear

they claim only

a fuperiority in the department of colouring

ture

It is

well

known,

more admired by

the

that

Na-

common

obferver for the richnefs and variety 6

PREFACE. of her

tints,

of her forms

of colouring nent,

than for the mere outline :

when, fo

therefore, truth

eminently promi-

how much ought

be ftudied, and

principles

its

its effects

be un-

derftood

With

a defign truly laudable, a

“ Treatife on the Practice of Painting “ in Oil” was publifhed as the year 1756,

two,

which went through

Thomas

The

Bardwell, was a

well qualified for this undertak-

ing, as

he had been employed very

clofely in

back

not more, editions in 4to.

author, Mr.

man

far

copying the choiceft works

Rubens and Vandyke.

of Rochford, to cated his work,

whom

The

Earl

he has dedi

was one of

his princi-

pal patrons.

“ The

PREFACE.

X ci

The

“ publifhing, “

Such

•Art.

motive,” fays he, is

folely the benefit of the

as are

born with a happy

“ genius, though deftitute of a guide,

u may from thefe inftru&ions acquire u a competent knowledge of Colour

“ iC

ing.

Here the lovers of Painting,

who

ftudy for their pleafure arid

“ amufement, may be conduced u ly, ftep by Hep, to the fecrets

Art,

which,

all

eafi-

of that

defigning

the

“ ones, affords the greateft pleafure to

“ the mind.

—There

no difference

“ in the method of working between tc

Copying

Had

out, as

ed,

and painting from Nature*

known,

much

as I

have

fir ft

fetting

fince Jearn-

fhould have approached nearer

“ perfect ton

;

but others,

who have

the advantage of youth ,

may,

perfuaded, attain the end

propofe.”

Since

—

PREFACE. Since

the

firft

appearance of the

above publication, Great Britain has received a considerable advancement in the institution of a

which has embodied

Royal Academy,

much

excel-

lence as to have increafed the general

Rock of information.

The

late

learned and elegant Presi-

dent, fpeaking of the ufe of copying ,

thus expreffes himfelf *

“

at all ufeful,

Should feem to be in

“ learning to colour 44

16 :

;

yet even colour-

ing will never be perfectly attained

“ by fervilely copying the model be“ fore you.

An eye

nice

critically

“ can only be formed by obferving tc

well-coloured pictures with atten-

“ tion

and by clofe infpeftion, and

“ minute examination, you will * Difcourfe 2d, delivered

December

dif-

17^9*

“ cover,

PREFACE.

xii

“ cover,

at laft,

the

manner of han*

dling, the artifice of contrail;, glazing,

“ and other expedients by which good “ colourifts have raifed the value of their

and by which Nature

tints,

“ has been fo happily imitated.* —But “ if an eye critically nice ” can happily imitate

Nature,

affiftance

how much

greater

needed by the eye

that

untutored and unaccuftomed to fpeculate

— Were

the

materials

with

which Nature’s hues are praCtically imitated, fo exa£t in their

tints,

and

fo fixed in their nature, as to admit

of inftant perfection, without change, then indeed mere obfervation would

fufficient

reverfe artift

unhappily, however, the

the cafe,

in ten

chemically acquainted

with the bodies he *

Artift of

and fcarcely one

*. ufing o

eminence being cautioned

a'gainft

the

PREFACE. Practical information

ed; and

xiii

is Jirongly

the great matters,

manner of colouring

need-

whofe

has been approv-

ed, had communicated

in writing

and generous a

to pofterity, fo frank

conduct would have produced more

good

pictures than

all

the lectures that

have been delivered.

With

the fixed refolution of ex-

tending that information which time

and experience have firmly fan&ioned, this it

work

undertaken

nor will

;

contain any thing but reality.

What-

ever fuggettions are ottered to confideration,

will

be appended in the

the profufe admixture of Sugar of Lead in his colours,

“

replied,

“ Sacrum

that he never

made

far preferable to it.”

ufe of

;

Sacrum

he thought is

a corrupt

and abbreviated name for Saccharum Saturni , or Sugar ef Lead

form

PREFACE.

XIV

form of Notes, or

will at leaft

feparate

and

body of

the work.

be kept

from the main

diftinft

In a Treatife of this nature, will be

found

and much velty fity

;

but

that

that as

already

may

known,

participate of no-

knowledge

accumulative, good

furnifh

much

by necef-

fenfe

will

apology for that which

would otherwife difgufb For the projectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part,

however

may

fafely fay, that

inferior his abilities

to the undertaking,

no one

may be will

found polfelfed of more genuine zeal

3nd good

will in

its

favour.

CONTENTS.

CONTENTS, Page

Materia

Pitftoria

Drugs,

;

or,

Varnifhes,

which are ufed

—

Introduction

Hiftory of Pigments,

and other

in the

Materials

Art of Oil Painting

29 l

Practical Rules for Painting in Oil Colours

75 of the principal Colours

Lift

Flefh

—

\ifed

—

in the

of the principal Tints that are abfolutely

Lift

—

neceflary for painting Flefh Firft

Painting

Second Painting

—

Third Painting, or Finifhing

ior

104

Back- grounds

CONTENTS.

XVI

Page

On Of

—

Copying

Painting Draperies

—

Second Painting Third and

Il6

122

—

Landfcapes

Lafi:

—

— — — —

Painting

Epitome of Coloritto

— —

Varnifh-making

164 iy Q

174 178

General Remarks, worthy the Attention of the Varnifh-maker

Mifcellaneous Obfervations

On White

Pigments

— —-

—

185

198

218

INTRO-

IVlANY

learned and ingenious

employed the acumen of

men have

their talents in

explaining the theory of light and colours,

which form avery important ence of painting. artift

part of the fci-

To excel in colouring

the

muft be thoroughly well grounded

in the principles of that branch of optics

He will light may

which treats of the nature of light. there find that white ,

be otherwife termed, fpeaking,

but

a fimple

by which

not, philofophically

and primitive colour,

compounded of

feveral colours,

which the number and proportion

are well

known*

INTRODUCTION.

By means

known.

component rays of

of a glafs prifm, the

light

may

be feparated

into feven diftin£t parcels exhibiting red,

orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet;

and although

thefe rays are

immutable in

themfelves, yet they are continually feparating

from each other

in their paffage

through the various objects they" meet.

Thus,

may

for inftance, grafs reflects

the green rays of light, while port wine reflects the

red rays; and fubftances that

participate of other colours,

have

culiar property accounted for

reafoning.

this

of different rays

this

pe-

on fnnilar

frequent feparation

nature fo beautifully

diverfified (a).

Da (a)

this

intereftmg fubje£t the reader

may

confult George Adams’s Le£lures, edit. 8vo, 1794, ?iz.

Lectures 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20* in which he will find

INTRODUCTION. Da

Vinci

(b) feems to have

been

aware of the truth of

light being only

ajfemblage of colours ,

although the proof

was

left to

be exemplified

mortal Newton.

the

to be highly ferviceable

ftudent in painting- for though

Titian, Corregio, lourifis

find the

the im-

So valuable a difcovery

muft be allowed to

without

&c.

this

became great co-

knowledge, yet to be

whole Newtonian fyftem familiarly explained,

together with the opinions of Mr. Hufley Delaval,

which, though

now

ingenious.

ftrongly combated, are highly

mind

yet further anxious

philofophic inveftigation, an original excellence

may be

fes the opinions of

work of real

confulted, which, though

Newton and

Delaval,

of the moll ferious inveftigation, viz.

for

oppo*

deferving

“ Experimental

Refearches concerning the Philofophy of Permtfr-

“ nent Colours

“

— by

Edward

Bancroft,

M. D.

edit.

8 vo, 1794.”

(b) Trattato della thttura,

c. 14.

acquainted

INTRODUCTION.

acquainted with the philofophy

Tours,

dire&cd immediately to

to be

the view of thofe tints

wife be found out

who

know

Ihall

fle£ting

of co-

which might other-

To him

cafualty.

— that

two colours

on each other form a

third

re-

— the

painting a funfet will be eafyj for though the light be tinged

Iky be blue, a greenilh

yet, if the will be

with yellow or red,

formed, more or

lefs

in propor-

tion to the depth of the yellow fcj.

difcrimination

in reality

tint

This

foreknown by the

( c) This greenijh

tint,

which may be termed

in-

diftinguifhable in a high degree,

if the ftudent will

keep patiently viewing the gra-

cipient twilight ,

dual declenfion of the fun.

When

evening begins to flacken, a peculiar vade his whole frame, which attributed to the

the

abfence

cold fenfation

the

glow of the

chill will

per-

not entirely to be

of warmth, but in part

produced on the optic nerve

INTRODUCTION. the fcientific ftudent,

“

the

which might have other, except

by any

totally milled

been

But how few

nice."

eye critically

corred eye to nature

poffefs a

known by

may be

infpeding the works of dif-

ferent mailers,

which every

ftyle will

vary; while nature, which they are endea-

vouring to imitate,

tem (dj

may

uniform in her

fyf-

be faid on this fubjed,

without by

a green

render this nicety a

palpable, for in fa£t

let the

it is

reader view a glowing

dium of cool.

colour.

a matter of feeling,

fire

through the me-

green glafs, and his eyes will inflanfty feel

Perhaps

contrail

little

let

this

may he

further exemplified by

the reader view a well-painted fre> and feel himfelf

warm.

Some

will be

•of

Claude’s pictures have this fightly greenijh hue of

led to

twilight floating lightly in the air, under the appear-

ance of a thin vaporous mifl

have many of the

works of Vernet. fd) In the Philofophical Tranfa&ions for the

year

INTRODUCTION.

without a bluih of falfehood,— fo few fuo ceed in imitating the local hues of nature, that,

year 1777,

an account of a

man who had

fo ex-

traordinary a defedt in his vifion as to be incapacitated

from diftinguifhing

this fmgular perfon,

berland,

who

The

colours.

lived at

hiftory of

Maryport

Prieftley.

— As the

for inferting here,

full

Cum-

was communicated by Mr. Huddart

Dr.

account would be too long

we muft

refer the reader to the ac-

count itfelf ; the following however

His name was Harris, by

the outline:—

trade a fhoemaker.

could difcern the form and magnitude of bodies, but

could not diftin&ly fee their colours cherries

on a

tree,

were white or

but could not fay whether they

black.

he termed white, and

was

fo anxious to

he could fee

In general, all

know

all

light

colours

dark colours black.

the nature of light and co-

lours, that he attended a courfe of Ie£tures in natural philofophy.

circumftances

—

;

Two

but two other brothers and

as well as his parents,

of his brothers were in like

had nothing of

lifters,

this defe£t,

did not imagine that colours were mere differ-

ence!

INTRODUCTION.

of a whole academy, Reynolds

that, out

fcarcely had a rival (e).

But, befides the fuperiority acquired by the ftudy of optics in what has been juft

enumerated, the fame principles explain

many

other things pra&ifed

painters; for, were their

of on the

bafis

will fully

works not judged

of philofophy, a confiderable

fhare of their merit mull be attributed to

cnees of light and {hade, but believed, from the re-

marks of others, that they were various and diftindh (e)

late years

the art of colouring has been

affiduoufly cultivated in the Britifh fchool,

owing

in a great meafure to the emulation excited by that

great mafter, Sir Jofhua Reynolds.

periments in which he

he fucceeded, be

failed,

collected

Could the ex-

and thofe in which

and divulged, a confider-

able advantage muft of confequence enfue is a refult

;

for good

compounded of the avoidance of error and

the practice of right.

chance

INTRODUCTION.

He who has

chance rather than learning.

viewed the directed to

effects

of nature with an eye

by found education

eftablifli

general rules,

will be able

where another

will gain only particular cafes.

With

regard to

the

application

thefe fcientific rules to painting, the

of the

beft colourifls are to

examined

young that

works

be carefully

thefe are the records

which a

painter ought ever to be ftudying,

may

be enabled to exprefs the

beauty of objects with the utmoft truth

and exa&nefs, “ louring <c

may

“ With refped to ro-

fays Sir

appear at

Jofhua (j), “ though firft

a part of painting

“ merely mechanical, yet

“

rules,

ftill

has

its

and thofe grounded upon that

prefiding principle

which

regulates both

(fj Difcourfe, read December io, 1771.

“ the

INTRODUCTION. great

and

a painter.

« the pidure

the

“

little

the

this,

the

firft

ftudy

effed of

produced; and

as this

performed, the fpedator as he walks

the gallery will flop,

<«

or pafs

along.”—

Aware, however, of the misfortune to

which

young

“

may

be expofed

great confidence in very

by placing too old pidures,

artift

he judicioufly

remarks

muft inform you, however (g), that

“ old pidures defervedly celebrated for

“

their

colouring,

« by

dirt

“ not

are often fo

and varnifh,

wonder

we ought

they do not appear

equal to their reputation in the eyes

“ of unexperienced «

that

changed

ftudents. is

painters,

artift

young

whofe judgment

matured by long obfervation, con-

fiders rather

what the pidure once was,

(g) Difcourfe, read December n, 17 69-

“ than

INTRODUCTION.

io **

than what

it is

at prefent.

He has

ac-

“ quired a power by habit of feeing the tc

brilliancy of tints

“ which

“

tation,

“

likely to

“

falfe

u a “

u from

and to fend him back

;

of his own formation , with

and the

real

appearances

of things.

Following

thefe rules,

thefe precautions,

“ and

confifts,

and ufing

when you have clearly

diftin&Iy learned in

“ louring

what good co-

you cannot do

“ than have recourfe to nature

w who t4

and

from the genuine practice of

the mailers, <£

mind with

equally remote from nature art,

imi-

of thofe pictures

the ftudent’s

fill

opinions

ideas

An exad

obfcured.

therefore,

colourif

through the cloud by

rifon

better

herfelf,

always at hand, and in compa-

of whofe true fplendor the beft<£

coloured

INTRODUCTION. <c

coloured pictures are faint and feeble.

w However, “ not

the practice of copying

entirely to be excluded,

mechanical practice ofpainting

u u

in foine meafure by

parts only

it ,

let

fmce the is

learned

thofe choice

be feleded which have re-

“ commended the work

notice.

“

its

general ef-

“

fe£l,

fketches of the machinery and gene-

ral

excellence confift in it

would be proper

make

management of the pidure.

“ fketches fhould be kept by you

flight

Thefe for the

regulation of your ftyle.”

Much is it to be lamented that the demy

Aca-

of Painting does not poflefs models

of colouring as well as models of defign, that the ftudent

may

learn in

what the ex-

cellence of the belt colourifts confifts, ere

he attempt to quit the fchool to imitate nature

INTRODUCTION,

nature in the

jected, that the

But

and various for

purpofe would be too great,

model

nations rich and healthy fully imitated as to

cal hues.

lights;

in a

let

this

a living

lead be procured, where the car-

ployed,

be ob-

if it

coft of a collection fuf-

valuable

ficientlv

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

fields.

ere this

in the

more fober

be faith-

the variety of the lo-

model ufefully em-

would be placed

now

light of a

may

in various

beams of the fun, now

now

and

light,

lamp or candle;

in the

one time in

the fhade, at another in a reflected light.

fuch practical

artifices

the complexion

of the body under different circumftances

may be

thoroughly learned and mattered;

and the

tints

and

half-tints

the colour of the fkin veflels,

fat,

may

and difcriminated.

produced in

by bones, blood-

be duly attended to

ftudent thus

in-

ftru&ed

INTRODUCTION.

would not be too forward in

ftru&ed

giving that rofy appearance to the

which we

fo often find in

would modeftly adhere of nature, as the perfection

;

but

the dictates

fountain head of that

which

pra&ice

flefli

conftantly

afpiring.

By true

thefe

means the approaches

knowledge of colouring are evidently

attainable.

which the

From

the theory of tight,

&c.

fcience of optics will completely

furnilh, the next ftep naturally tends to

the appropriation praftifed

the

of thofe principles as belt

colourifts;

after

which, the practical application of the materials

by which colouring

will confequently

occupy the

produced, attention.

It has been a generally received opinion,

that the ancient

painters had

introduction.

more than four

colours, out of

their other tints

were formed.

which

This po-

has been very ably combated

fition

the ingenious Mr.

all

Thomas Cooper, who

has written an effay on this exprefs fub-

jed

in the papers of the

ety (b).

have

Manchefter Soci-

conceives

this

from too hafty a

arifen

notion to

perufal, or a

mifapprehenfion, of thofe paflages of an-

which

cient authors

port of

Cicero,

it.

perfons

who were

are quoted in fup-

Pliny,

&c. wrote of

ancients in their days,

not concerning the cuftoms of their contemporaries,

which

fons termed

ancients

mention

own

times,

made of

many

(h ) Memoirs ter, vol.

iii.

are

us.

the per-

Wherever

the cufloms of their

proofs are given of the

of more

application

latter

colours

than

for-

of the Literary Society of Manchef-

510,

edit. 8vo,

1790.

INTRODUCTION. brilliance

there in the

“ beauty and variety of the

How

merly. Cicero in particular fays,

“ much more

colours in the

“ paintings of the moderns , than thofe of *c

!**

the ancients

(/)

Perhaps,

the

fuperior painters

might employ, in the very early periods of the art, fewer colours than at prefent, be-

caufe purples

fection (i).

colours

any degree of per-

at lead: in

later,

till

and blues were not difcovered

After this, a variety of

w ere T

gradually difcovered

;

new and,

being (i)

“ Quanto colorum

“

tate

quam

floridiora

(k) Purple

duced by

picfuris

lake

now

a fubftance pro-

on certain plants, both of which

by Ctefias

and after him by jElian in

work De Nat. Animal.

ftance

novis pleraque

Cic. de Oratore,

was prepared from

infedts

are defcribed his

funt in

in veteribus!”

pulchritudine et varie-

iv. c.

certainly the cochinealt

—This fub-

from which our

ufually prepared.

Pliny

INTRODUCTION.

being introduced into practice, increafed the flock to a confiderable degree

(/).

the pigments and fubflances ufed

by the

Mr. Cooper has given a

ancients,

which he colle&ed from

fuccin£t account,

the works of Diofcorides, Vitruvius, Pliny, Oribafius, Ifidore

and Solinus

Pliny mentions a blue which in

its

(

m ).

name and

gin appears to be fimilar to our indigo. “

maxima

autoritas Indico:

num

gru 7n y

mirabilem reddit.”

Ab hoc

India venit, arundi-

fpumae, adherefcente limo at in

ori-

cum

ni-

teritui*,

diluendo mixturam purpura caruleique Flinii

the following chapter,

u fuorum limum

—

xxxv.

c. 6.

— And

India conferente fluminum

this limurn is precifely the

mud

or facula which fubfides in the preparation of indigo

from the plant taneoufly

anil

;

and might,

in India, be fpon-

formed by the maceration of vegetable

fubflances growing on the banks of rivers. (/)

For a

lift

of the colours ufed in Pliny’s time,

fee Plinii lib. xxxv.

12, et feq.

(m) See Manchefter Memoirs, p. 530, vol.

111.

8vo,

INTRODUCTION. “ Of white colouring had

ancients

pared

;

fubftances, the

lead varioufly pre-

'white

from calcined egg-fjells ,

a white

and preparations from cretaceous and ar-

— The

gillaceous earths . dition,

moderns, in ad-

have magiftery of hifmuth ,

ufed^ and ought

have the

blacks , the

ancients

calces

little

of tin

and zinc.

“Of rations

fimilar to

Frankfort black

;

lamp

alfo to

had prepa-

ivory ,

blue

and

Indian ink, and

common writing ink ; and they ufed what

do not,

viz. the precipitate

of the black

dyers vats

and

black /<fW

were, as

think,

“

The

unknown

them.

ancients pofleffed a fpecies of

vermilion , or fine cinnabar

;

a coarfer

a«-

nabar ; red lead ; various reddles, burned

and unhurried, apparently fimilar

our

INTRODUCTION.

red ochre

burned terra they had

brown

;

and fcarlet ochre

Venetian red ; Spanifh

;

di Sienna ,

alfo a fubftance alike in colour

and in name

to our

dragon

minium was not red

s blood.

lead, but native ver-

Their red

milion, or very fine cinnabar. lead

Their

went under the names of minium fe-

cundarium and cerujja ,

ujla.

They had

not

carmine or rofe-pink, nor the lakes from kermes, cochineal,

or brazil

although

;

they certainly had the cochineal

infect,

and the kermes berry.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

The yellow

pigments of the ancients

were generically the fame with our mcnts , king ficot-y

and

orpi-

yellow , Naples yellow , maj-

the yellow ochres of various de-

nominations, as well as earths tinged yellow.

They

did not poflefs turbith mineral,

mineral yellow, or

they appear to have as a

gamboge

known

;

nor do

of gall-ftone

pigment.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

INTRODUCTION. “Of

the blue paints, they had prepa-

rations

from the

menus

;

cyanus and

iapis

poffeffed,

and which

clined to think a different ftone

former. Indigo they had

they made blue

from foine ore of muff be

;

and

in-

from the

bice or fmalt,

but whether

glafs,

cobalt or of

— perhaps

wolfram

the former.

uncertain-*

They had litmus,

lapis ar-

perhaps alfo from the lapis lazuli,

which they

for

not Pruffian-blue, verditer, or

which we have.

do not ufe

the blue precipitate of the dyers vats, nor

mountain

blue,

which they

em-

certainly

ployed.

“

Of green colours,

terra verte y and

green

the latter

they had verdigrife>

malachite is

or mountain

not in ufe

among

us.

Sap-green and Scheele’s green appear to

have been

unknown

they produced as

them.

many

tints

Like as

us,

they

pleafed

INTRODUCTION.

and

from blue

pleafed

yellow

vege-

tables.

“ that

have no original purples in

from gold by means of

very good

and

when

though

tin,

well prepared,

life

too dear,

Their purple was a

unneceffary.

tinged earth .

“

Their

orpiment),

orange ,

we alio

or fandarach (red

poifefs.

Hence

there

does not appear to have been any great

want of pigments, or any very material difference

between the colours they ufed

and fuch

haps the

full

generally

employ.—-Per-

effed of colouring

may

obtained without the ufe of the exceeding brilliant

pigments, by depending more on

the proportion and oppofition of

Colouring was

tints.

carried to a great de-

gree

INTRODUCTION.

may be

gree of excellence formerly, as clearly afcertained

rious authors,

by the writings of va-

who

Roman

Hate that the

particularly trufted to

artifts

but

;

it is

highly probable that the moderns have

exceeded them in

The number

painting. colours,

abled

this particular

and

them

branch of

modern

of the

their preparations

have en-

to excel their predeceffors in

the variety of their tints, independent of the chiarojcuro , great

All

way

this,

which would alone go a

towards the fame excellence.

and a great

deal

be urged to the fame

that

might

only go

effeCt, will

to prove the lamentable ftate of fo

firable

art,

de-

which has been tranfmitted

pofterity with fcarcely one practical

rule

whereby fuch performances were

fected.

the real

ef-

Nay, to come nearer our own times,

method of working, and the pei

culiar

admixture of the colours, ufed by

Rembrandt,

INTRODUCTION.

Rembrandt, Rubens and very partially

known

Vandyke, are

to us,

and are

now

rather diftantly imitated than practically identified.

Rembrandt, who was

mafter of

colouring in the higheft degree, died in

1668.

who ranked next

Zouft,

him,

died in England about eight years after.

Lely died

Reily, a difciple of

in 1680.

Zouft, furvived th,em both, and was the heft

colourift

Richardfon,

Then came

of his day.

who

died

1745, and,

though taught by Reily, was much ferior to

how

him

Thus we

in merit.

fee

in-

fhort a time the art of colouring de-

clined,

which was

high perfection in

the time of Rembrandt

Whenever a difeovery is made whereby the world

likely to reap advantage, it

INTRODUCTION. it

becomes the duty of every one

mulge and extend

of this

fort,

to pro-

For want of an

it.

difpofition in

open and philofophic ters

men

of great

mat-

abilities

have dwindled into tradefmen, and have carried to their graves a (lore of infor-

mation which, during tive

life>

was a lucra-

monopoly.

By the

fimilar means,

knowledge

praCtifed

by the

are deprived of

many

ancients,

tives of jealoufy or avarice

from a participation of

valuable

arts

who from moexcluded others

their {kill.

The

Juftinian code, for inftance, contains a ftrid:

prohibition of the ufe of the Tyrian

purple dye, except within the walls of the palace

;

and although experience con-

vinced the Eaftern Emperors of the folly

and impolicy of fuch

interdicts,

not

all

their

INTRODUCTION.

their future plans could preferve this va-

luable art

What

little

information can be had

may be

concerning Rembrandt’s method learned fio'm

the practical fort

“ brandt

it is

not of

and

Rem-

de Piles, but Titian

prepared

“ grounds, nearly

their alike,

and with colours

“ that kindly united, and were “ the “

life as

poflible

their virgin tints

(n)

;

prevent the total

near to

on which they

with

lay,

iirft

laid

light flrokes

of the

if poflible,

of this

lofs,

highly valuable dye, the Emperors obliged the de-

fcendants of theTyrian dyers, as well as other to

praftife

the trades of their anceftors.

time, as the families of thefe artifts

the art became extinct alfo

became

which

artifts,

But

extin£t,

fliews the ne-

of fome a£t of the legiflature to purchafe

ceflity

receipts of any real value, and record them.

Codex, law,\

xi. tit. vii.

was an

all

Vide

Until the promulgation of this

a£t of high ti-enfon for

perfon to make ufe of this dye.

Ibid.

any private

tit. viii.

“ pencil

;

INTRODUCTION.

and thus they imitated the force

«*

pencil;

and frefhnefs of nature.—’They were

« convinced

lours

that there

which deftroyed each

« they were mixed “ they Ihould be

“

fible

alfo

to excefs

as little

;

other,

knew

and that

fhaken as pof-

the motion of the pencil.”

de Piles

have

certain co-

were

the above, he might

hated the names of the colour s,

and the medium

which

they

were ground,

&c. &c.

From

a clofe infpe&ion of the beft

painted pictures of thefe great colounfts, it

appears that the drugs and the colour-

ing materials were in general far better

prepared and more fcrupuloufly feleded

than at prefent.

Many

of the venders

of colours are not preparers of them

;

and,

being ignorant of their compobtion, receive into their (hops whatever has the

femblance

INTRODUCTION.

â&#x20AC;˘femblance of excellence.

Numbers of

the

materials are either not genuine, or are vilely fophifticated

and

tied

and when ground,

in bladders, are

raw and impure if the

;

oils.

mixed with

would be well

Royal Academy of Painting would

eled cenfors to enforce propriety in

this

refped, after the cuftom of the College of Phyficians

;

or at lea ft. appoint a few honeft

and well informed cojourmen perhaps

own,

better,

;

or,

what

have a laboratory of their

and apply the

profits to the

fup-

port of decayed merit, and the patronage

of rifL'g genius.

After

all,

to recapitulate the

valuable confiderations of the truly ani-

mated

ftudent, let

with an

effect

him never

reft fatisfied

without endeavouring to

difcover the caufe

will, if

grounded

in philofophy, be able to account for moft

;

INTRODUCTION. of nature

of the appearances particular cafes,

which

mind

ceptions, his

and the

;

many

are fo

ex-

will readily retain, as

being peculiarly linking in themfelves,

and aloof from general explanation. “ <£

the whole,”

“ there

a which

“ every

— to recur to Reynolds

but

and gives

The

art.

principle

one prefiding

regulates

(0),

liability to

works, whether of

poets, painters, moralills, or hillorians,

“

“ which are “

“ pend

for their exiftence

“ culloms and ct

nature,

while thofe which de-

for ever

live

upon general

built

particular

habits, a partial

nature, or the

fluctuation

view of

of falhion,

can only be coeval with that which

“

firll

“

fent time

and future

“

as rivals,

and he

raifed

them from

obfcurity.

may

who

Pre-

be confidered

folicits

the one

mull expeCt to be difcountenanced by

“ the other.” (0)

Difcourfe,

cluding part.

read Dec. io,

1 >

—die

con-

MATERIA PICTO RIA (p); OR,

history OF

PIGMENTS, DRUGS, VARNISHES, AND

Â©THER MATERIALS WHICH ARE USED

THE ART OF

OIL PAINTING.

AsPHALTUM. minous or

This

a folid bitu-

fubftance, of a deep fhining black

brown

any

fmell

colour till

within, with fcarcely

be heated,

a ftrong pitchy one.

[p) It has

when

emits

It is plentiful in fe-

arbeen thought more convenient to

order; by range the feveral words in alphabetical out, means any article may be inftantly found

which as

by a Dittionary.

B L

3Â°

veral parrs of Egypt,

and on the furface

of the Dead Sea. From France, Germany,

and Switzerland, a

fimilar

cured, differing only in

its

bitumen

which

fmell,

Sometimes pitch

pitchy.

pro-

itfelf,

and

the refiduum after the diftillation of

am-

ber, are both

fubftituted for

diftinguifhable

from the natural bitumen.

Black. Black

Lamp

See the feveral articles

Frankfort Black

;

Black.

ments have been

and prepared

carefully

After

ground

and other adventitious

them up

pig-

in oil,

for the ufe of the pencil,

cuflbmary to fecure them

from duft

alteration,

by tying

fimply

much

colour

in pieces of bladder.

puncturing the bladder, fo as is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Blue

Ivory Black

;

Bladder of colour.

but are

it,

wanted may be fqueezed from the orifice,

B R

BL orifice,

and the remainder be prefcrved

for a future occafion.

Smalt

;

Pruflian Blue;

See Indigo;

Blue.

Ultramarine

;

Ultramarine Allies

;

Verditer.

Blue-black. Of this paration is

faid to be

various

;

colour the pre-

but the better fort

made of the young

tendrils of the vine charred.

ftalks

and

See Frank-

fort Black.

Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

See Afphaltum;

Brown Ochre;

Brown Pink Cologne Earth; Burnt Terra ;

di Sienna

;

Umbre.

Brown Ochre.

Brown vegetable,

Pink

See Ochre.

the tinging part of a

precipitated

on the earth of

alum, and on calcareous fubftances, fuch as

as cuttle- fifh

bone, chalk, &c.

There are

manjr methods of preparing

which

are the following

berries,

one pound

pound

chips, half a

;

among

Take of French wood,

fuftic

and of

;

it,

one pound. Boil them in a

pearl-afhes,

tin boiler,

with

a gallon and a half of water, for an hour

and then flannel,

{train

while

off the tindure through

the

Having prepared lution

of a

fluid

in the

pound and

to diflfolve), put

boiling hot.

mean time

a fo-

a half of

alum

(which takes fourteen times water

its

weight of

gradually to the

tindure, as long as an ebullition

pear

;

{hall ap-

wafli the fediment, as in the pre-

paration ot lake

;

filtering

;

and when

it is

brought,

through paper and a linen

cloth, to a proper

confiftence/dry

boards, in fquare pieces.^-Or,

made without two pounds of

the

ufe.

falts,

may

on be

by boiling

the berries in a gallon of '

water,

BR Water, for the

two hours, and draining

tinCture through

In the

flannel.

mean time

prepare a

cuttle-fifh

bone, by levigating the

pound and

inner part with Water on this to the tincture,

inafs

ftifF

marble

foft

add

let it

the matter

till

confidence

well ground,

a half of

and evaporate in bal-

neo Mariae ( a water-bath')

become of a

off

when

the

be cut in cakes,

and dried on a board*

Brunswick Green* Valuable

and

name

a very

and newly difcovered colour,

prepared by two brothers, of the

Hitherto is

This

Gravenhord,

Brunfwick.

has been kept a fecret

;

but

conjectured to be a precipitate of cop-

per which has been diflolved in tartar

and water by coCtion, and which, by evaporation of the lixivium,

the form of a cupreous tartar.

colour

fold

depofited in

fimilar

by Meflrs. Brandram and Co.

inSileLane, London, which poffeiTesmany, if not all, the rare qualities

Brunfwick.

Ceruss.

See

found in

all

White Lead.

Cinnabar.

of that prepared

ore of quickfilver,

of a high red colour,

from

gritty matters.

brilliant,

prepared

beft

and free

a combination

It is

of quickfilver and fulphur, and ficially

The

quickfilvex mines.

when

arti-

termed Vermilion,

which fee*

Colcothar of Vitriol. A purple calx of iron,

brown

which remains

the diftillation of the acid vitriol

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

it is

colour.

Germany and 6

dug up France

of a deep

in ;

martial-

Crocus Martis.

alfo called

Cologne Earth

from

after

many

brown

parts of

but Dr. Hill, in his-

CO hisHiftory of

Foffils, obferves,that

it is

alfo

found near Birmingham in Warwickshire,

and on Mendip Hills

Colour.

in Somerfetfhire.

In painting, the

whereby the hues of nature For

thefe, fee the

Yellow, Green,

words Blue,

are

medium imitated.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Red, Orange, Purple;

Brown,

Black, White.

Common Indian

Red.

See Indian

Red.

Common Orpiment. Copal.

A refin

which varnifh

from

See Orpiment.

New

Spain, of

made.

Distilled Verdigrise. feVerdigrife.

Drying

Oil,

Various are the me-

thods

thcds of preparing drying-oils;

and limpidnefs are

palenefs

but as

as highly ne-

ceffary as a drying quality, the operation is

The

a nice one.

excellent:

nut or linfeed

add one pound of the

cleaned, unadulterated litharge of

Let the glass put be

litharge,

oil,

may

which

ment,

N. B.

without mixing the

;

times

and care-

greafy fedi-

pour off the drying-oil for

When

coarfe

heat, they are only applicable to

and the

ufe.

made with

drying-oils are

outfide painting,

the

will unite

many

day for a week, or longer

fully,

are

fubfide without

impediment. Shake the mafs in a

that

cylindrical,

greafy parts of the

filver.

which they

veflel in

perfectly

with the

very old

quart

oil

following receipt

darker

pig-

ments.

Dutch

Pink. This colour,

brown pink.

E A pink,

prepared of French berries, with that turmeric inftead of

difference,

this

fuftic is

admixed, and

that chalk

in lieu of cuttle- fifh bone.

It is alfo

ufed pre-

pared, after the fame manner, with ftarch

and white in

lead.

goodnefs

Its

confifts

being of a fine golden yellow, and

its

very bright.

Many

Earth, White. men

have employed their

ingenious

talents in dis-

covering a more wholefome, and equally cheap, pigment as white lead

and, per-

;

haps, the finer and whiter forts of

might be ufefully Goltbergenfis is

dug up

more its

name,

The Terra

of a white colour, which

in feveral parts of

particularly at

in Silefia.

the

fubflituted.

this

Germany,

Goltberg, whence

and Strigaw, and

earth

time

procured in

neighbourhood of Haffelt,

Lignitz

the

bifhoprick

of Liege,

biftioprick

where

Weftphalia,

in is

the

circle

ufually

fealed

with the impreffion of an Eagle and the

words â&#x20AC;&#x153; Terra GoltbergenfisE

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Of

to-

bacco-pipe clays there are alfo feveral forts that

appear

efpecially

pigments,

convertible into

one of

this clafs

which

found

near Lymington in Hampfhire, which

not

turned to

at prefent

much

ufe.

But

the earth termed Melinum in natural history has been ever famous in the annals

of painting, being the principal white of It is ftill

found

whence the

paint-

the painters of antiquity. in the fame place from

had

ers of old called

common

It is

white lead

low

viz. the ifland

of Milo,

Melos by the Greeks, whence

name, and iflands.

it,

;

all

its

the adjacent

not quite fo bright a white but, as

white lead does,

never turns yel-

it is

far preferable

to that article in the courfe of time.

Betides,

EN as

fides,

mod

of the difcolouring fub-

ftances of white earths

to iron, if

may

be attributed

treated with

were

marine

acid, the brightnefs

might be improved.

See Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hid. of

45.

Foffils, p.

This

English Pink. termed

light

pink , from

lighter colour than it is

its

fometimes being of a

Dutch pink,

which

fimilar in preparation, except that a

greater quantity of chalk enters the pofition, to render

Flake White.

conliderably lighter.

See

Frankfort Black. of the

lees

com-

White Lead.

This

made

of wine burnt, then walhed in

water, and ground in mills for that purpofe, together with ivory or peach-ftones

burnt.

makes the principal ingredient

in the rolling-prefs ink

;

and

generally

brought

brought from Frankfort, Mentz, or Strak bourg, in lumps. pare

it,

and

theirs

Glazing.

The French is

alfo pre^

far preferable.

term ufed by

artifts

exprefs the application of a thin fuperficial

coat of tranfparent colours. rally

pra&ifed in the fhades

colour

It is

gene-

and the

mixed with meggellup.

Green. fian Green

Verdigrife,

See Brunfwick Scheele’s

common

Green

;

Pruf-

Green Terra V erte; ;

and

diftilled.

Green, Brunswick.

See Brunfwick

Green,

Green, Prussian. See Prufiian Green.

Green,

Scheele’s.

See

Scheele’s

Pfeen, FI AIR

HA Ha

r Pencil.

Inpian Red. yiz. the

colcothar

There

are

two

Common

real.

left after

falts,

the diftillation of the

wafhed

well

vitriol,

Real Indian

and ground.

brought

a natural ochrous earth

from the

ifland of

Gulph, and

called

Ormus,

in the Perfian

by fome

writers Terra

In general

Perfica,

forts,

no other than the ochre or

from martial

from the red

See Pencil.

common and the

Indian red

acid

that the calces of iron

may

be obferved,

may

be made to

appear either purple or red, according to the

manner

performed.

which the

calcination is

Various paints are kept in

the drops under different names,

which

differ

only from each other in fome

vial

circumftances,

Ochre

;

Spanifh

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; fuch

Brown

;

tri-

Scarlet

Indian

Red

;

Venetian Red,

Indigo

a blue fecula obtained

maceration from the plant Anil,

very bell rica

;

The

comes from Spanish Ame-

fort

but within thefe few years a vail

quantity has been brought from Bengal,

which

equals, in

many

that has been produced is

famples, the fineft

on the

not fo well calculated for

water:

is,

globe.

for

oil

therefore, applied in great

quantities to the purpofes of dyeing.

Ivory Black. really prepared

which

in truth

If this colour were

from the rafpmgs of Ivory it

ought to be,

beautiful jet black

it is

a very

but unhappily

prepared only from bones , which by no

means equal

may be

in fplendour, although they

confiderably cheaper.

It is

a very

bad dryer, and requires a confiderable admixture of fugar of

lead.

Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

L A

This

Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yellow.

an orpi-

ment, or preparation of arfenic and

ful-

pher, of an extreme bright colour. will ftand well, itfelf;

but, if

fome other It

kept unmixed and

be mixed with lead and

colours,

it flies

be obtained from

may

off or changes.

common

orpi-

ment by fublimation.

Lake, which

fo called

was

from gum-lacca, from prepared,

at firft

beautiful tinge of red,

a very

purple, or yellow

colouring fubftances precipitated on the earth of alum. are prepared

kermes

red and purple lakes

from cochineal, madder, and

berries;

curcuma

The

the yellow

or turmeric-root.

lort,

from the

nice are the

miniature-painters in water-colours in the

procuration of lake, that great prices are

given for

it.

The

great complaints

againft the red lake are, that

it is

made

too

purpie.

44 pie,

and too apt

to fade

and vanifh. Could

an UTiadulterated fcarlet ftand the

tell

lake, that

would

of time, be philofophically

prepared, fuch a colour

would accumulate

fame and fortune on the ingenious

who

invented

it.

Lamp-Black. This of oils,

refins,

much ftance,

from lamps.

drainings of refin,

from

the

are

now

For init is

together with

wood and bark

modes

prefent,

dregs

fre-

and chips

of the pine, burnt

in ovens of a peculiar conftrudion. lar

the foot

effeded.

Norway and Sweden

quently obtained

of the

the confumption, a procefs of a

greater extent in

colour

and other inflammable fub-

ftances colleded fo great

artift

Simi-

probably pradifed in

England, where vaft quantities are made for the painting of the bends fhips;

fince

and mafts of

has been difcovered, that

lamp

lamp-black mixed with tar or

oil

perfect non-condudtor, and has proved a prefervative

from lightning, by repelling

the ele&ric matter from thofe parts which are coated with

it.

Lead, Red.

See

Lead, Sugar

of. See Sugar of Lead.

Red Lead.

Lead, Precipitate of.

See

White

Precipitate of Lead.

Lead, White.

Light Pink. Mastic, refin

White Lead.

See Englilh Pink.

Mastich. Atranfparent

from the

See

lentifc tree.

Masticot,

Massicot,

white lead

46 lead calcined

NA aftume a yellowifh co*

till it

lour.

Meggellup.

term ufed by

artifts

to exprefs a compofition or mixture

turpentine, maftic varnifti, and linfeed

of oil,

with which they apply their glazings Others prepare

of one part of genuine

maftic varnifti, and two parts of pale dry-

ing

oil.

AVhen the two ingredients

are

quickly ftiaken together they will form a clear jelly,

which

ferviceable in

Minium.

found extremely

will be

many

See

parts

of painting.

Red Lead.

Native Cinnabar. Naples Yellow.

See Cinnabar.

This colour was

for a long time fuppofed to be a prepara-

tion of arfenic, but

it is

now

well

known to

to contain lead.

Dr. Hill in his Hift. of

highly miftaken as to the

Foffils, p.

56,

nature of this material.

fays that

it is

a bolar earth, impregnated with a ferrugi-

nous

calx,

very beautiful, of a bright and

elegant yellow, between a gold and faffron colour, and of a very loofe, porous,

and fhattery fays, in

texture.

fome

It is

fpongy

found, as he

parts of Italy, fometimes

the furface of the earth, at other times very deep.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The

vered by

truth

now, however,

M. Fougeroux, who

ftrated that

it is

made by

art.

has

difco-

demon-

The

perfon

who prepares it at Naples, fcrupuloufly conceals every circumftance that

a difcovery of It

contains,

its

might lead to

nature and preparation.

by chemical analyfis, an abfor-

bent earth, a vegetable acid united with lead,

an aluminous and ammoniacal

and a calx of antimony.

fait,

Accordingly, on

mixing together intimately twelve ounces of

4$ of white

lead,

one of alum, one of

ammoniac, and three of diaphoretic

mony,

fa!

anti-

an unglazed earthen pan, co-

vered over, and expofmg

to a

moderate

heat for the fpace of eight hours, he obtained a fubftance of the fame colour

and

the fame properties with Naples yellow, or Giallolino , as

it is

there called.

See Hift.

Acad. Sciences, 1766.

Nottingham White.

See

White

Lead.

Ochre. The name of

a large genus

of earths, ufed principally by the painters.

The moft common

kinds are the red and

yellow, though there are brown, blue and green.

Of the

eleven fpecies ber;

;

yellow, Dr. Hill deferibes

of the red, the fame

num-

of the brown, two; of the blue and

green, one fpecies each.

Ochre

a fer-

ruginous

ruginous earth, or ore of iron

mens of fuch ened by

may

dark

as are

They

calcination.

the fpeci-

be bright-

appear to be

produced by the decompofition of martial

which

pyrites,

of fulphur and iron.

confift

the adtion of air and water the fulphur

becomes

acidified,

the iron

which

and forms

depofited

vitriol,

and

on calcareous earths Iron

feize the acid.

frequently

extradled from this ore.

Oils.

The

oils ufually

applied to the

purpofes of the painter are, linfeed, nut,

and poppy

oils,

and the

fo termed) of turpentine.

more limpid

oil

(improperly

The

paler

and

thefe oils are, the better, pro-

vided no heterogeneous matters are applied to

them

to render

them fo. Experience has

proved, that great age

required to ren-

der feed-oils valuable, as they then acquire a drying quality, and lofe that turbid ap-

pearance

5Â°

pearance which

when new

they

invariant

bly poffefs.

Oker.

See Ochre.

Orange.

Orange Lake; Red

See

Orpiment.

Ora nge Lake.

This

may

be pre-

pared by boiling four ounces of the bell Spanifh anotto, and one pound of pearlafhes, for the fpace of half an hour, in

one

gallon of water.

and

mix

Strain the tin&ure,

gradually with a folution of a

pound and a half of alum water, defifting

when no

Treat the fediment as

common

lake,

and dry

in fix quarts of

ebullition enfues.

ufual in preparing it

in fquare bits,

or round lozenges.

Orpiment

a combination

calx of arfenic with fulphur, and

yellow colour.

an expofure

of the is

of a

to a great

degree of heat, the above combination af-

fumes a red colour, which red orpiment, or realgar.

Bucquet compare

this

then termed

Chaptal and

operation with,

the converfion of mercurial sethiops into cinnabar, or vermilion.

Palette, among

painters,

little

oval table, or piece of wood, very thin and

fmooth fite

;

on and round which the requi-

colours are placed, that they

ready for the pencil. but

has no handle,

lieu thereof a hole

through which the thumb

may

one end,

thruft, to

keep

firm in the hand.

Patent Yellow.

This colour, for

which

the ingenious

tent,

prepared by triturating red lead and

Mr. Turner has

a pa-

common fait together in a mortar, and then expofing them in a crucible (made of tobacco-pipe clay) to a certain heat.

The fait

decompofed

fait is

PR the marine acid unit-

;

ing with the calx of lead forms the patent

yellow

;

and the

of the

bafis

fait,

be carefully wafhed out,

neral alkali, of fo

which the mi-

much confequence

the foap, glafs, and other manufactories.

Pencil. ers

the application of their colours.

for

They

are

their

of various kinds,

ufes

badgers’ and

down, and

bound

inftrument ufed by paint-

moft ufual are

the

fquirrels’

hair,

boars’ bridles.

to fticks,

termed bnijhes ;

according

of fwans’

Thefe

Lift

are

and are more generally the others are included

in the barrel of a quill. I

Prussian Blue.

combination of

iron with a fubftance of the

acid, diftinguifhed

P ruffian

blue.

nature of

by the name of acid

Various theories have

been propofed refpe&ing

this colour,

Geoffrey,

GeofFroy, Macquer, Sage, and others,

all

depending on the received knowledge of chemiftry of that period Berthollet have fubjeCt,

but Scheele and

thrown much

light

this

and have converted the old term

of phlogiji'icated alkali into PruJJian acid

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; To make mental

this article,

fcale,

on a fmall experi-

any animal matters, fuch

blood, the rafpings of horn, clippings of fkins, coal,

&c. &c.

are converted into char-

by heating them

in a covered veflel,

together with an equal weight of alkali. Lixiviate this coal in water; then ftrain

it,

and evaporate to a degree of ftrong concentration.

This lixivium

then to be gra-

dually admixed to a folution of two ounces

of martial

when

vitriol

and four ounces of alum,

a blueilh depofit

formed, which

rendered more intenfely blue by treat-

ment with marine proceed on a

much

acid.

Manufacturers

larger fcale.

Prussian

Prussian Green. feidom employed, and

This

a colour

made by Tome

admixture during the operation of making Prufiian blue.

Purple. Purple Lake

See Colcothar of Vitriol ;

Purple Lake.

Realgar. Red. nabar

;

See,

See Lake,

See Orpiment.

Burnt Terra

Common Indian Red

Red Lake; Red Lead; Spanifh

True Indian Red,

Brown;

Sienna; Cin;

Rofe Pink

Scarlet

Ochre;

Venetian Red;

Ver-

a calx of

of a

milion.

Red Lead

vivid orange-red colour,

acquires

by a flow

berating furnace.

moft

part, the

lead

which colour

calcination in a rever-

From Holland,

red lead in

for the

commerce

brought

RE brought

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Mi-

frequently termed

nium.

Red Ochre.

See Ochre.

RedOrpiment. Rose Pink.

This

red colour, but little

See Orpiment.

efteemed.

a very beautiful

fo perilhable as to

It is

made of chalk,

be co-

loured with a deco&ion of Brazil wood,

heightened by an alkaline

Sacrum.

fait.

and

corrupted

mode of exprefling Saccharum

Saturni, or

vulgar

Sugar of Lead.

Sandarach.

name

given to a combination

fometimes

of arfenic and

fulphur.

Sandarach Gum. called,

becaufe

Improperly fo

a refin.

pof-

felled

56 fefled is

S P

of confiderable tranfparency, and

therefore ufed in

varnifh.

ob-

tained from the juniper tree, in which

occupies a place between the bark and the wood.

Scarlet Ochre.

See Ochre.

Scheeleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green. of blue

vitriol

one pound

a fufficient

diffolved

quantity of water, add immediately one

pound of

purified alkali,

and

and a half of pulverized white diflolved previoufly in

boiling

water

the

arfenic,

pounds of

precipitate,

from the mixture of is

eight

ounces

five

thefe

two

arifing

folutions,

to be well

wafhed or elixated,and

Smalt

of cobalt.

the pulverized

powder-blue, and

dried.

blue glafs

generally termed

ufed with flare h, to

give a beauty to fine linens.

Spanish Brown

ochrous

ruddy

S P ruddy

earth,

from abroad,

now dug up

which was formerly fupplied as

its

name

imports, but

improper name of it is

This

which has given

elfential oil,

England.

in feveral parts of

Spirit op Turpentine.

oil

rife

to the

of turpentine

but

;

not of an oleaginous nature.

diftillation

in balneo Marias (a chemical

water- bath) the

fpirit

rifes

from the tur-

pentine, and leaves a refiduum of a yellow colour, termed yellow refin, or rofin.

SpongeTencil. cients, pencils

Among

of fponge were ufed,

which the foaming of the

fea,

moft ingenioufly

effected.

and other

reprelentations of a fimilar nature

lefs,

an-

the

were

Elence, doubt-

the ftory of the painter,

who

not be-

ing able to exprefs the foam of a warhorfe, fucceeded

by dajhing

the

fponge at

the pidure.

Sugar

Sugar of Lead. Lead and its calces may be diffolved by the acetous acid, and will afford a cryftallizable

fait,

of lead from

its

preparations of

all

the

deadly poifon. rendering to

extreme fweetnefs. This,

oils thicker,

and caufing them

fame intention in drying

Litharge, which

a preparation of lead,

Sweetener.

lead,

has the property

dry more rapidly.

ai tiffs for

called fugar

ufed with the

oil.

term ufed by fome

a hair-pencil,

or brufh, with

which the abrupt edges of colours are foftened and blended together, as in the

operation of glazing, &c.

Terra

di Sienna.

This

a ferru-

ginous earth, and capable of becoming red

calcination.

a highly valuable

colour to the portrait-painter, for deferr-

ing

TE ing the

warm

reflected lights of the face,

neck, &cÂť

Terra Verte. earth,

This

a native

of a green colour, which

pro-

bably receives from an admixture of cop-

When

per.

well levigated, for

gritty texture,

it is

of a

very durable, though

it is

not bright.

This

Turpentine.

fir

kind.

by medical

Four

writers

from which the made, tris

a refinous

extruded from

infpiflated juice

the

;

trees

forts are diftinguifhed

but the moft

common,

of turpentine

fpirit

obtained from the pinus fylvef-

of Linnseus.

Turpeth Mineral, Mineral, though Its fine

but

little

Turbith

ufed in painting,

feems richly deferving of notice.

yellow colour

durability,

and

likely to poffefs

therefore preferable to

kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or Naples yellow.

by mixing crude mercury

prepared

in a retort with

equal parts of vitriolic acid, and fubje&ing thefe to an intenfe heat, is

reduced to a white mafs.

afterwards

elixated

mercury

the

till

Let

with water,

this

and

will affume a brimftone-yellow hue.

Ult r amarine. ders is

from being much ufed, although

far the

Pruffian blue has of late

been much ufed in it is

able,

and

bed and moft durable blue

colour known.

but

great price hin-

Its

of ultramarine

lieu

a fad fubftitute,

lefs brilliant in its

being

lefs

;

dur-

primitive hate.

Its preparation confifts in

firft

calcining

the lapis lazuli in a crucible, then grinding it

very fine on a porphyry

up with

a pafte

;

then mixing

made of w ax, r

pitch,

maftich, turpentine and

oil;

wafhing the pafte well in

clear water,

and

laftly,

feparate

from the

reft,

precipitates to the bottom, in

form

feparate the colouring part

which of a

fubtile, beautiful, blue

water at

then poured

bottom

The

powder.

and the powder

off,

dried in the fun

and

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;To know whether of pure and unmixed â&#x20AC;&#x201D; put a

the true ultramarine

in a crucible, and

the

any change be perceived, or any black

little

;

on heating

powder has not changed certainly genuine

fpots appear,

red-hot,

its

colour,

on the contrary,

either fpurious or adul-

terated.

Ultramarine Ashes. name of

pigment which

This

the

the refiduum

of the lapis lazuli after the preparation of ultramarine.

Thefe

afhes cannot poflefs

colour,

the beauty and value of the

firft

as the colouring particles are

mixed with

thofe of another kind, which are

red.

Their

uivi

Their

fophiftication

ter the

manner

UmbrÂŁ.

may

be dete&ed af-

in the preceding article.

This

Mile

of a brown colour, which takes

fubftance, its

name

from Ombria, the ancient name of the duchy of Spoleto in Italy, whence it was obtained. Dr. Hill

firft

confider

Da Cofkt

an earth of the ochre kind,

feveral large maffes

and Mr.

in digging

having been thrown

on Mendip

Hills in So-

merfetfhire, and in the county of Wexford in Ireland.

It is

found in Egypt,

Italy,

Spain and Germany, as alfo in Cyprus but

it is

from

brought into England principally

different parts of the

minions.

1 his

fubftance,

makes a good fhade for

Turkifh do-

when

gold.

only be put into the naked

fire

burnt, It

need large

lumps, which fhould not be taken out

till

they be thoroughly red-hot. i

Varnish.

Varnish. ufed

other

workmen,

vifcid, gloffy

painters,

liquor,

and various

gilders,

to give a glofs

and

to their works, as alfo to defend

from various

accidents,

A more

duft, Sc c.

Iuftre

them

from weather,

particular treatife

varnilh will be given

itfelf ;

will be

needlefs, therefore, to dilate further here.

Venetian Red.

This

differs in

no*

thing from red ochre, or the colcothar of vitriol

well calcined.

Verdigrise.

See Indian Red.

Copper corroded, and

reduced to a very beautiful green colour, or ruft,

Montpellier

verdigrife.

place capital

the vinous acid,

its

manufacture,

termed

the principal it

being the

of Languedoc, where the vine

propagated to a great extent. gives' the

M. Monet

following method of preparing verdigrife:

verdigrife

Vine-ftalks well dried in the

fun are fteeped during eight days in ftrong

wine, and again dried.

After this they

are put into earthen pots, and

poured upon them covered. in

When

fummer

in winter

and

the fermentation,

fomewhat

later,

which and

has advanced, the

be taken out of the pots.

are then to be drained for a while,

alternate layers of ftalks

Swedifh copper are

be.

earthen pots clofely covered.

or four days the

when

the pots being clofely

takes place in eight days,

ftalks are to

They

;

wine

plates, will

and

plates of

arranged in After three

be corroded

they are to be taken out, and

in a cellar,

;

left

and are occasionally to be

wetted with water, or weak vinegar. This

and drying being

operation of wetting repeated three fcraped off for

times, fale.

the ruft

may

Other methods are

pra&ifed elfewhere, by ordinary vinegar

tut

but

lias

beeh obferved

that,

if the

acid be not vinous , the verdigrife will not

have that un&uofity

fo defirable,

neceflary, in painting.

are

now made

Great quantities

Grenoble,

and even

fince

vulgar prejudice in favour of the

the

cellars

of Montpellier has been done away.

Verdi ter

a blue colour, prepared

with chalk, and copper precipitated from aqua-fortis. ter,

and

It is

ufed by painters in

principally

wa-

eonfumed by the

paper-ftainers.

Vermilion. nabar

was

Under

the article Cin-

ftated that

vermilion was

ho other than a that colour, the

factitious imitation

component parts

of quickfilver and fulphur.

a perfect asthiops

confifting

M. Beaume

gives the following procefs as a

Make

good one

mirteralis

tfi-

turating

66 two

turating

Take of

quickfilver.

quantity, and expofe

matrafs

;

with one of

parts of fulphur

to the fire

any

aethiops

this

in a

more intimate combination

will take place,

and the mixture

lime to the upper part of the

will fubveflel,

form of a very deep reddifh -brown mafs.

To make more

fublimations are neceflary.

fhops, this

very

fine,

ture of clear urine, and a

fome fuppofe, the is

fomewhat

name of

two

Though

;

with a mix-

little

fafffon as

intenfenefs of the co-

loft,

and

aflumes the

vermilion .

White. are the

In the

termed fa&itious cinnabar

but by grinding

lour

one or two

perfect,

Flake-white and white lead principal colours ufed in

oils.

thefe are called the heft prepa-

rations of lead, yet

fome others

der the names of cerufs and

exift

un-

Notting-

ham

WH ham

white, which will be explained in

the following

article*

White Earth.

See Earth,

White Lead. this

and

The

White.

preparation of

pigment has become a diftind pradifed in

The

kingdom. Didionary,

many

trade,

parts of this

author of the Chemical

M. Macquer,

gives the fol-

lowing defcription of the procefs Leaden :

plates rolled fpirally, fo that the fpace

an inch

fliall

volution,

muft

left

between each circum-

be placed

earthen pots of a proper

fome good vinegar. ought

vertically

fize,

containing

Thefe leaden

to be fupported in

rolls

the pots, that

they do not touch the vinegar, but that the vapour of this acid

may

circulate free-

ly betwixt the circumvolutions. Thefe pots are to be covered,

and placed in a bed of

dung,

dung, or in a fand-bath, by which a gentle heat

may

The

be applied.

acid of

vinegar, being thus reduced into vapours, eafily attaches itfelf to the furface

them, and

plates, penetrates

nated with this metal, which

impreg-

of thefe

reduces to

a beautiful white powder, called cerufs .

When

this

powder

for painting,

Flake-white

and

alfo preparations

ground, and

termed

fitted

â&#x20AC;˘white lead.

Nottingham- white are of lead, and are nearly

Through

the felf-fame thing.

the

com-

munication of a philofophical gentleman of veracity, the writer of to hate

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that the

this

enabled

principal difference be-

tween the procefs of making white lead and Nottingham- white of alegar inftead

very fevere

trial

confifts in the ufe

of vinegar.

favour

he made of both the

white colours, the preference in

From

decidedly

Nottingham- white

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he

painted

painted the back-board of a pi&ure frame,

one half with

common

white lead

The

other half with Nottingham-white, picture in

its

frame was hung up

and was not difturbed for at

the

feveral

as ufual,

months j

the end of which time the picture was

removed, and the fide painted with Notting-

ham-white was nearly as white as the other half

low.

was changed

ever, while

to a deep yel-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; If a conje&ure may be

offered

the fuperior efficacy of alegar over vinegar

from

in the preparation of a white colour lead,

it is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

more of a

that alegar contains

common

vinous acid than

vinegar

for,

;

independent of the greater quantity of faccharine matter

compofition,

poffeffes

to the

common

known,

vinegar.

fuperior

into

enters

unknown

That a vinous

any other

as the verdigrife

F 3

its

the virtue and

of the hop , a peculiarity

fpirit

acid

which

made

well,

Montpelli^r

70 pellier

and

acidified in

Grenoble wine,

from

better,

vine-ftalks

and

higher price than that which ordinary vinegar.

fells

made of

See the article Verdi-

grife.

White Precipitate of Lead.

Al-

though the principal intention of

this

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Hi/Ior of Pigments , y

EsV.â&#x20AC;?

more general knowledge

to give a

to the ftudent in

oiL-painting, yet the more curious will indulge us

artift

in giving the following

defcription of a water-colour,

which

highly valuable to the painter in miniature,

and

may

be found capable of great

improvement.

If a fmall

quantity of ftrong nitrous

acid be poured

upon litharge ( which Jee) y

the acid unites itfelf to the

metal with

confiderable effervefcence and heat.

Some water

water being

\VH

now poured

on, and tbe glafs

mixture fhaken, a

veffel containing the

turbid folution of the litharge

made.

vitriol be If a fmall quantity of acid of

now

added,

white precipitate

being

left at

a beautiful

and the acid of

ad upon

liberty to

litharge, begins

mainder of the diffolve

down

throws

the re-

anew

When

with effervefcence.

again faturated, which will be

white precipitate

to be

it is

known by more

the difcontinuance of the bubbles, acid of vitriol

nitre

dropped

in,

and a

again thrown down.

undiffolved, If any of the litharge remains fet at liberty

the nitrous acid being

cond time,

attacks

continuing to add

whole of the into a

mod

as at firft

may

litharge

beautiful

Unfortunately

acid

;

a fe-

and by

vitriol,

the

be converted

and durable white.

this colour

in oil, though in water

F 4

cannot be ufed

feems fuperior

7Z to any.

If the

procefs be

well

managed, an ounce of nitrous acid

made

convert feveral

may

pounds of

litharge into a ydiite of this kind.

It has been ftrongly recommended tq paper- ftainers, and others

who

ufe water-

colours in large quantities, to prepare their lakes,

and the colours

chalk,

on the

tate

of lead.

prepared of

of the above precipi-

bails

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;For

now

inftance

the colour

required be a very fine one, fuppofe from cochineal, the colouring matter firft

extraded by

heat.

When

pregnated, little

rates,

upon

the to

it is

fpirit

fuiliciently

be poured by :

to be

of wine, without

fpirit is

the calx

little

imand

the fpirit foon evapo?

and leaves the calx coloured with

More of

the cochineal.

the tindure

then to be poured on, rubbing the mixture conflantly

;

and thus, by proper management}

nagement, many beautiful colours, not ferior to the beft carmine,

pared.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; When

colour, for the

the

may

in-?

be pre-

only a fmall quantity of

exquifite touches

miniature painter,

would recommend the

required,

procefs to be con-?

dueled on the

bafis

or calx of

purfuing the fame method

tin ,

of white precipitate,

of rubbing in the colouring tincture as

when If,

white precipitate of lead

ufed.

in head of cochineal, Brazil-wood, tur-

meric, logwood, &c. be fubftituted, different kinds

may

of red, yellow, and purple

be produced.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Aqueous

in lieu of fpirituous extracts, for coarfer tedious,

work but ;

decodtions,

may be

the procefs

ufed

from the length of time required

to evaporate the water.

employed here

ever, be

Art may, how-? aifift

the eva-

poration, provided the heat be

low and

gradual

and

the;i the quantity

of colour prepared

74 prepared

one time might well a/lfwer

the operators trouble.

Yellow. Pink

;

Dutch Pink; Englilh

Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yellow

Yellow di

See

;

Maflicot

;

Naples

Orpiment; Patent Yellow; Terra

Sienna; Turpeth

Mineral;

Yellow

Ochre.

Yellow

Ochre.,

See Ochre.

PRACTICAL

[

PRACTICAL RULES f OR

PAINTING

THE following

OIL COLOURS.

rules are derived

from

the obfervations and pra&ical experience

of the

late

ingenious Mr. Bard well, fo

known and

well

admired,

at a

period pre-

vious to the formation of the Royal Aca-

demy. his

Time

has evinced the truth of

method, and has eftablifhed certain

principles rely.

on which the ftudent may

Such

great

difcoveries,

fafely

however,

have been made, fince his time, in the preparation

;;

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

preparation of fome coiours *, as to forth the powers of

apply them.

call

modern ingenuity

Much

left

done

to be

and from the prefent

flourifhing flate of

the Royal Academy,

that the day will

hoped

to be

come when modern ge-

nius lhall eclipfe the produ&ions of former ages.

On work, tions

a comparifon with Mr. Bardwell’s it

will be

found that many

altera-

and corrections haye been made

but thefe chiefly confift in the ftriking out

many

had crept

redundancies, and errors that into

— the

principles

everywhere fcrupuloufly adhered

to.

* Viz. Brunfwick Green, Patent Yellow, Qrcen, &c.

are

Scheele’s

PAINTING

Lift

COLOURS,

in OIL

Colours

of the principal

the Flefli ,from

made

which

all

tifed in

the Tints are,

..Flake-WHITE*, or Fine White, the very bed white

have.

This

colour fhould be ground with the fined

poppy

our white oil,

can be made.

oil that

prefent

bad, only on account of the

which is not

really

poppy.

White

working colour, and comes for-

friendly

ward with yellows and

reds,

but retires

with blues and greens.

the nature

of all whites to fink into whatever ground they are

laid

on white grounds

Ivory Black

have

on; therefore they fhould

laid

* See die

a colour

article

the

bed black we

which fympathizes

White Lead in the Materia Pic-

toria.

and

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

and mixes kindly with is

Indian red

make

the belt general

{hadow-colour that can be.

with linfeed

oil,

Ivory-black and

a true (hade for blue. little

the other.

all

It is

ground

and ufed with drying

and fugar of lead Black

oil

a cold, retiring

colour.

Ultramarine

the world.

and never

It is

the fineft blue in

a tender, retiring colour,

and

glares;

zing colour.

It is

a beautiful gla-

ufed with

Prussian-Blue

poppy

a very fine blue,

and a kindly working colour.

It is

with linfeed

oil

proper. fielh,

oil,

oil.

though nut

ground is

fhould never be ufed in the

but in the green tint and in the eyes.

Light Ociire

colour,

a friendly

and of great ufe in the

mixing

fielh.

It is

PAINTING is

ufually

oil

in OIL

ground with

linfeed oil, but

nut

All yellows are ftrength-

better.

COLOURS.

ened with reds, and weakened with blues

and greens.

Light Red

ochre

(light

burnt)

and white, mixed, produce the moft perbe made.

fect flefh colour that can is

a beautiful, clean, kindly working co-

but too ftrong for the white, and

lour,

therefore will

grow

darker.

ground and ufed with nut

Vermilion made

tive cinnabar It

will

when

fhould be

oil.

of the true na-

only fhould ever be ufed.

not glaze

;

but

glazed upon.

linfeed oil,

is is

a line colour

ground with

and Ihould be ufed with drying

oil.

Carmine

fon that can be

the moll: beautiful crim-

it is

a middle colour be-

tween

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

tween lake and vermilion;

a fine

work-

ing colour; and glazes delightfully. fhould be ground with nut

with drying

L Ake

deep red fore

red.

;

be ufed.

oil.

but of no ftrong body

ground with

Indian Red

lour it

a ftrong, pleafant-

will not glaze well;

ground and ufed

Brown Pink ;

lights

white,

;

never join,

falls

little*

as the lake.

a fine glazing co-

but of no ftrong body

ftiould

iinfeed oil#

oil.

when mixed with

1 1.

there-

;

the beft glazing colour that can

working colour; but

It is

fympathizing,

a tender,

and ufed with drying

and,

and ufed

fhould be ftrengthened with Indian It is

10.

oil,

;

In the

mix with

flefti

the

becaufe this colour and white antipathize

;

PAINTING tipathize,

for

OIL COLOURS.

and mix of a

which reafon

warm

tint.

finifhing colours,

It is

drying

il.

It is

and theiefore firft

{lengthened with burnt

timbre, and Weakened with

ground with

In glaz-

fhould never be ufed alone in the painting.

fhould be laid before

the other colours that are to enrich

one of the

hue

their joinings fhould

blended with a cold, middle ing of fhadows,

dirty

linfeed

oil,

terra verte

and ufed with

oil.

Burn? Umbre

a fine

warm

brown, and a good-working, ftrong coof great ufe in the hair, and

lour.

It is

mixes

finely with the

warm

fhade.

Lift

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

ยง2

Tints

that are

ab-

folutely neceffary for painting Flefh;

ail

Lift

of the principal

โ ขwhich are

made from

the principal Co-

lours juft enumerated.

No.

Light Red Tint

light red

and white.

and

conditioned of

beft

the

It is

all

fhould

make out

all

the

er;

With

this

for the white

;

prove

is,

it ;

that

white with

its

like claro alfo

grow dark-

nature too ftrong

therefore

fhould im-

mix fome vermilion and

in proportion to the fair-

it,

thus mixed, yet

red tint in

we r

9.)

We fhould

nefs of the complexion. is

(No.

that this colour will

becaufe

kind for

flefh,

obfcuro, or mezzotinto.

remember,

mod

colours,

the general ground of the flefh.

colour and the fhade tint

made of

all

And though

will be called light-

the courfe of the

w ork r

;

becaufe

PAINTING becaufe tint

OIL COLOURS.

fhould not have the vermilion

confounded with

it,

was no

as if there

difference.

No.

Vermilion Tint

only ver-

milion and white, mixed to a middle It is the

moll

brilliant light-red that

No.

tints.

CARxMiNE Tint

carmine and

white only, mixed to a middle all

can

agrees belt with the white, light-red,

and yellow

tint.

colours,

It is,

tint.

the moll beautiful red that

can be for the cheeks and

lips

it is

one

of the finifhing colours, and fhould never be ufed in the

firft

painting, but laid

upon

the finifhing colours, without mixing.

No. fhade

Rose Tint

made of

the red

(No. 10.) and white mixed to a

middle degree, or

lighter.

It is

one of the cleaned

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

cleaned and

mod

flefh, for clearing

ufed in the

will fympathize

often

Naples yellow and white; but alfo

heavy-

and mix kindly.

Yellow Tint

up the

and therefore, in changing,

dirty colours;

No.

can be

delicate tints that

made of is

made

of light ochre and white, which

good working colour. Remember the ochre too drong for the white ;

fhould

make

little

therefore

allowance in ufing

It follows the light-red tints,

it.

and fhould

always be laid before the blues. If we lay too

much

was

laid

of it,

we may recover the ground

on with the

No. 6 Blue Tint .

light red-tints.

made of

marine and white, mixed to a azure.

It is

with

a pleafant

ultra-

liglitifh

working colour

fhould blend the gradations.

follows the yellows; and with

them

makes

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS. 85

makes the greens; and with the red duces the purples. for blending

down, or

colour

pro-

proper

foftening the lights

into keeping .

No.

Lead Tint

black and fine white, degree.

It is

therefore

made of

mixed

ivory-

to a middle

a fine retiring colour;

and

of great ufe in the gradations,

and in the eyes.

No.

fian blue,

Green Tint light ochre,

made ofPruf-

and white.

This

colour will dirty the lights, and fhould be laid fparingly in

the middle

moft ufed in the

red

they are too ftrong.

tints.

It is

fhadows, where

It is

of a dirty anti-

pathizing nature.

No.

Shade-Tint

made of lake,

Indian red, black, and white, mixed to a

beautiful

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

murrey colour, of a middle

beautiful

This

the belt

colour for the general

ground of fhadows;

for

here called the fhade the

lights

which reafon

tint

delightfully,

pleafant clean colour, a

reddifh pearl.

tint.

all

it is

mixes with

and produces a

little

inclined to the

the four colours of its

compofition are of a friendly fympathizing nature, fo confequently this will be the

fame; and therefore

may be eafily changed,

the addition of any other colours.

No.

Red-Shade

io.

lake and

very

little

charming working glaze r

fhade

tint;

nothing

Indian red.

colour,

receives,

when

the green and blue tints agreeably.

good ground

for

all

It is

and a good

ftrengthens the fhadows

and

but

on the is

wet,

It is

dark fhadows.

No.

ii.

;

PAINTING in OIL COLOURS. No.

11.

brown

lake and

degree

Warm-Shade

pink,

made of

mixed

to a middle

a fine colour for {Length-

ening the fhadows on the fhade

when

they are wet or dry.

care that

tint,

muft take

does not touch the lights, be-

caufe they will

mix of a

dirty fnuff-colour

and therefore fhould be foftened with a tender cold

No. 12.

tint.

Dark-Shade

ry black and a colour

little

made of ivoThis

Indian red only.

mixes very kindly with the red-

fhade, and fympathizes agreeably with the

middle

tints in the dead- colouring.

It is

charming glazing colour for the eye-brows

and darkeft fhadows.

mo ft

It is,

all,

the

excellent fhadow-colour, and one of

the fineft

working colours we have,

FIRST

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

FIRST PAINTING. The Colours and Tints that are for

the Firfi Painting

necejfary

of the Fief3 are.

Fine White. Light Ochre Light Red

and and

Vermilion ..... and

its its

its

two

Tints.

Tint.

A Tint made of Lake,Vermilion, and White. Rpfe Tint. Blue Tin{.

Lead

Tint.

Green

Tint.

Half-fhade Tint â&#x20AC;&#x201D;made of Indian Red,

and White.

Shade Tint.

Red

Shade.

Warm The

Shade. finifhing palette for a

fine

com-

plexion

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS. 89

plexion requires fix more

and

its

Tint, Lake,

;

viz.

Brown

Carmine

Pink, Ivory

Black, and Pruflian Blue.

The Is

painting, or dead- colouring.

firft

two

divided into

parts

the

called the jirji layy ok ground

the laying on the virgin

The parts

firft

;

may be

the fecond,

tints.

two

lay of colours confifts of

firft

the one

the

work of the fhadows

only, and the other that of the lights.

The work out

all

of the fhadows

was

make

the drawing, very corre&ly, with

the fhade-tint, in the fame it

done with

to be

manner

as if

only

this colour

;

and remember to drive or lay the colour fparingly.

The

lights fhould

all

laid

in with the light-red tint, in different degrees, as

fee

them

in nature

thefe

two

9Â°

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

two colours united produce a middle tint,

tint

for,

;

clean, tender,

mixing with the Ihade-

they turn to a pearly hue

{Lengthening them with the

may work

;

and by

light- red,

good refemblance.

to a very

In uniting the lights and fhades,

ihould ufe a long foftener *, about the fize

of a large fwanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

help to bring the

quill

work

;

which

will

into character,

and leave the colouring more

delicate;

then go over the darkeft ihadows with the red or

warm

lhade>

which

will finifh the

hrft lay.

The warm (hade being laid on the fhade^ tint,

improves

laid inflead

and

to a

of the fhade-tint,

fpoil the colours

if the red

warmer hue

{hade be laid

{hade-tint, the

*&>f>the article

;

will dirty

mixes with

firft,

but if

;

and

inftead of the

fhadows would then appear

Sweetener in

the Materia Pidona.

too

PAINTING

COLOURS,

in OIL

Therefore, notwith-

too red and bloody.

Handing thefe two colours are the

beft that

can be for the Ihadows, yet they are too ftrong to be laid alone

which

;

a proof

of the great ufe and merit of the fhade-

Here we may

tint.

Ihade and light-red

obferve, that the are fo friendly

tints

delicate in their natures, that

and

will not dirty,

they

though we are continually

How

changing them.

proper then, and

agreeable to our purpofe, are they, for

making the moil nefs,

when

principal part of the like-

in altering

and changing they

always produce a clean colour of the yiting pearly

hue

in**

THE SECOND PART OF THE FIRST PAINTING. In order

to finifh the

fir ft

painting, im-

prove

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

prove the reds and yellows to the com-* plexion, and after

them

ing, that the blues

the blues

;

obferv-

on the reds make the

purple, and on the yellows produce the

green.

The fame method

Rood of the fhadows them

clean,

;

to be under^

but be fure to leave

and not too dark

therefore

allowance fhould be made in their grounds

with the light-red will is

make them

;

becaufe glazing them

darker.

When

the cloth

of a dark or bad colour, there muft be a

ftrong

body of colour

laid

all

over the

fhacjows, fuch as will not fink into the

ground, but appear warm, and a

little

may

be of

lighter than the

life,

fo that

the fame forwardnefs to finifh, as if

been a

light

had

ground. Therefore the bufi-

nefs of dead-colouring

is,

that

leave

always in the fame order for finifhing,

though the colour of the cloth be quite the reverfe,

MINTING lx

OIL COLOURS. 93

proved by experience, that the

grounds of lhadows, in what dead-colouring,

the

call

fhould be filch as will

fupport the character of the finilhing colours

which ground muft be

;

little

and

clean,

lighter than the finilhing colours lighter,

lhadows

becaufe the Jini/hing of

glazing ; and no other method

but glazing can leave fuch brilliancy and

beauty as they ought to have.

For, glaz-

ing the lhadows in the firjl painting fo

not

proper as laying a body of lhadow co-

lours, that are

little

very near to the

lighter.

touched upon, deal of eafe

may

when

dry, with a great

but

and be of no ufe

lours,

which

lours,

are laid

Therefore

that are

be glazed and

begin the

we lhall

ftare,

dull.

though

Thefe

painting with glazing,

and

life,

;

and the

it,

all

find

firft

will

folid co-

will look

heavy

lhadows and co-

be glazed, Ihould be ,

done

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

done with colours of a clean becaufe the glazing

body

folid

lading,

to leave

no roughnefs

;

and

Re-

has the bed effed, on fuch colours.

member

;

mean

fuch as will appear rough, and interrupt or hurt the charader of the finifhing co-

which, by examining the work

lours;

whild it is

it is

wet, with a foft tool, or, when

dry, with a knife,

will

may

eafily take off the

be avoided, knots and

roughed: parts.

The

light-red

fuperior to

all

which fhould be always

;

done with a

full

fink a

pencil of diff colour,

brighter than the little

in drying.

life,

becaufe

The

laid, the lefs it will fink.

in drying will fink,

will

greater the

body and quantity of colour, and the it is

other colours for the drd

lay or ground

made

and white improved

differ

Every colour

and partake, in proportion

PAINTING portion to

body, of the colour

therefore

not

its

laid

on a

rofe

tint,

licate

;

with a

little

all

foft

life,

The

which fhould be

{hade-

into the

fall

lightly united,

long-pointed tool, to the lights,

believe the

like mezzotinto.

great mailers very feldom

fweetened or foftened the colours in uniting the careful

complexion grows de-

making out the whole

from the

fhadows (hould

as the

laid

ground, muft confe-

light

no allowance made.

tint for the

it is

the lights of the flefh, if

all

quently change a there

OIL COLOURS.

firft

lay,

;

but

they were very

preferring the

brightnefs of

and therefore did not work

their colours,

them below the complexion. For,

to force

or keep up a brilliancy in the grounds

can only be done with the whites, reds,

and yellows

;

which method

will

for the deficiency of the white

make

grounds: therefore

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

therefore, the

firft

painting fhould be

bright and bold, and the are

broken the

better.

left

lefs

the colours

fhould for/

bear lifing any colours that will prejudice

them, and be contented to add what

wanted the next painting fail,

;

a clean rag will reftore the

where firft

ground.

SECOND

;

PAINTING

in OIL

COLOURS. 97

SECOND PAINTING. THE Second Painting

begins with lay-

ing on the lead quantity that can be, of

poppy

oil

;

then wipe

a dry piece of a

The into

two

filk

almoft

one

with

handkerchief.

fecond painting parts

all off,

divided

alfo

called the

of the fecond painting

;

which

firft

lay

tumb-

and glazing the Ihadows

ling the lights

the other, finifhing the complexion with the virgin tints, and improving the likenefs, as far as

can be, without daubing.

Scumbling where they

going over the

lights,

are to be changed, with the

light-red tints, or

fome other of their own

colours, fuch as will always clear

and im-

prove the complexion, with fhort

ftiff

pencils

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

pencils

;

but fudi parts only as require

otherwife the beauty of the will

be fpoiled, and

The

firft

we make

painting

double work.

light-red tint improved,

the

very beft colour that can be for fcumbling,

and improving the complexion in general.

the fhadows and drawing are

Where

to be corrected, fhade-tint,

and

Some

fhould do

with the

driving the colour very

bare, that

and change

we may

the eafier retouch

with the finifhing

parts of the

ftiff

tints.

fhadows fhould be

glazed with fome of the tranfparent fha-

dow-colours, fuch as will improve, and

come very near not to lay on too lofing the

to the life

much

hue of the

of firft

;

but be fure

it,

for fear of

painting, the

ground of which fhould always appear through the glazing.

Be very

careful, in

uniting the lights and fhades, that they do

not

PAINTING

in OIL

COLOURS.

mix dead and mealy

not

mix with

the lights

mealy thofe fhades far the

proved,

complexion

;

for the

the fhades, the

Thus

will appear.

prepared and im-

order to receive the virgin

and finifhing touches.

tints

THE SECOND PART OF THE SECOND PAINTING, Is to

go over the complexion with the

virgin tints

;

thefe are the colours

improve the colouring

which

to the greateft per-

fection, both in the lights

and fhadows.

This fhould be done in the fame manner as

firft

laid

them

painting

;

in the fecond part of the

that

lows, and blues

;

with the reds, yel-

blending them with deli-

cate light touches tints,

is,

of the tender middle

without foftening.

We fhould

leave

the

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

the tints and their grounds clean and dif-

and be content

tindt,

the is

work

fafe

to leave off whilft

and unfullied, leaving what

farther required for the next fitting

for, in attempting the finifhing

before the other

and

drawing,

dry,

touches

lofe the fpirit

and dirty wherever

touch.

THE

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS,

THE THIRD PAINTING,

ioi

FINISHING.

to be fuppofed the complexion

now

more than a few

light

wants very touches

therefore there will be

;

cahon for

Begin firft,

little

oiling*

with corre&ing

where the glazing

or under pait,

make

we may

be able

By this method,

both the glazing and the

happens that

variety of tints

ground

on the part with

one ftroke of the pencil.

but

the glazing;

fhould determine what

the alteration

we preferve

all

ferves as a

fhould be done next, that to

no oc-

intended,

and is

;

cannot lay fuch

finilhing

much

tints

colours as

better to leave

ÂŠfF

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

102

work

off while the

order

;

and in good

fafe

becaufe thofe few touches, which

would endanger the beauty of

may

louring,

have patience are dry

;

ftay

co-

done,

eafily

the

colours

the

till

and then, without

oiling,

add

thofe fmifhings, with free light ftrokes of

the pencil.

believe

upon

pi&ures a great

his beft

letting

Rembrandt touched

that

them dry between

method, moft

certainly,

that furprifmg force fo

inimitable.

foften the over-firong

when they

are dry, than

we may add If

palette

want

was

this

fpirit,

which

much

eafier to

tints

are

when they wet

;

becaufe

the very colours that are

wanting, without

work.

times,

which gave them

and

find

many

endangering the dry

any of the colours of the to

be a

little

changed

to the life,

PAINTING life,

in OIL

when we

better to palette,

COLOURS.

are painting,

103

much

with the knife on the

than with the pencil

the knife will mix, and leave

;

becaufe in

good

order for the pencil

JU 4

xo 4

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

OF BACK-GROUNDS.

Van DYCK

made out

his back-grounds

oppofition

the keeping in

more from the

different

and harmony of the colours,

than from his knowledge of the claro obfcuro.

There

not

his pictures

that intelligence of light and {hade, is

fo ftriking

and beautiful

which

Rembrandt’s.

Van

Dyck’s general method was to be

very

ftill

and mellow, and to break the

colours of the ground with thofe of the

drapery.

This

harmony, the

will

the

art

that

ftrength, which, at

method

of colouring

knowledge of

which gives

produce

principles of which

belong only to the it

certainly

light

furprifing firft

fight,

Rembrandt’s works. There

but

and fhade force

and

find in

a picture

a lady,

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS, ioj

a lady, where he has juft light

enough

and

which

hair,

the ground

fhew her complexion

a dark brown, in the

greateft perfedion

made

the ground

which, near to the

face,

the fhadows of the

flefh,

a wall,

lighter than

and the

light

diminifhes fo artfully in the gradations,

though the part round the head

that

much

darker, yet

fame

colour with that

appears to be of the

near

the

flefh.

This method of relieving the head from the

ground

better

than

Van Dyckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

method, where he has made the ground almoft or the fame colour with the hair

and though

his

way of

breaking

colours of the ground with thofe draperies

the

of the

admirable, yet there appears

too near a famenefs, as in fome of his pictures,

where he has

near that

carried

this principle

almoft imperceptible.

In Rembrandtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pidures at Yarmouth, the lights

to 6

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

lights

and {hades are

his

and

%arm

and

painted lour,

ill

and are remarkably broad,

prints,

clear,

as vifible as thofe

{till

thin,

the

;

and look

at once,

all

fhadows are very as if

they were

with a plenty of co-

which appears tranfparent

tranfparency was

which

done by glazing the

dead colouring.

The

principal colours that are necef-

fary for painting of back-grounds in poras walls, buildings, or the like,

traiture,

are white, black, Indian red, 3. light and

brown

ochre,

Pruflian-blue,

and burnt

timbre,

from which the eight

tints are

made,

Pearl

little

as follows

made of

principal

black, white,

and

Indian red.

Lead of black and white, mixt ,

a dark lead-colour. Yellow,

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS. 107

Yellow , of brown ochre and white.

Olive, of light ochre, Pruffian-blue,

and white. of Indian red and white,

Flejh,

mixt to a middle

Murrey, of Indian

tint.

little

black,

of a middle

and

mixt to a kind of purple,

tint.

Stone, of white,

red, white,

umbre, black, and

Indian red. Dark-JIoade,

of black and

Indian

red only.

Here

the lead tint ferves for the blues;

the flefh tint lead

;

mixes agreeably with the

and the Murrey

a very good

blending colour, and of great ufe where the olive

too

flrong.

The umbre,

white, and dark-fhade, will produce a fine Variety of

hone colours

and umbre, ufed

the dark-fhade

plentifully with drying oil,

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

io8

cil,make a charming warm fhadow-colour* All the colours fhould be only, becaufe they

oil

better

laid

with drying

mix and

fet

the

with the foftener.

Where

the marks of the trowel are fo

ftrong in the priming of the cloth, that

one body of colours cient to conceal

to prevent fore

fuffi-

fhould lay a colour

begin with thofe parts that at

one painting.

method of painting back-grounds

divided into

The hi ft lay

not be

which fhould be dry, be-

;

cxpedl to finifh

The

it,

will

firft

two

part

the fecond

with the finifhing

parts.

the

work of

to follow

the that,

tints.

oÂŁ

PAINTING

in OIL

COLOURS.

109

OF THE FIRST LAY.

fhould

fhadowed lights firft

begin from

from them go

into the gra-

which fhould be

dations and fhadows,

done with a

the

of the head, and paint the

fide ;

always

large ftiffifh tool, very fpar-

and white, a

ingly, with the dark-fhade little

changed with the colours that will

give

more of the required hue, but

very near in regard

them

leaving

The

and ftrength

to tone

like mezzotinto.

dark and

warm fhadows

fhould

be laid before the colours that join them: this

fhould do with the dark-fhade

and umbre, drove with drying

were

\vould interrupt

laid

and

fpoil

before

becaufe, if

the colours that join them, thofe colours

oil,

firft,

they

the tranfparency,

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

IIO

reney, which

their greateft beauty.

the

better

we may change

tints

;

lay

firft

drove, the eafier and

with the finilhing

we may

therefore

The

them with

lay

the greater body.

The

fecond part

lay

whiift the

firft

tints that

think

to follow dire&ly,

wet,

with thofe

are moft proper to

harmonife and fmilh with.

Begin with member,

we do

the lights

firft

and

re-

heighten and finifh them,

with warmer colours

;

and

let

thofe be accompanied with fine tender cold tints.

The

lightefl part

of the ground

always neareft to the fhadowed the head all

the reft

this ;

the part

fide

which governs

and fhould be painted with

a variety of light,

which vanifh, and

warm, lofe

clear colours,

their ftrength

im-

perceptibly

PAINTING perceptibly

OIL COLOURS.

fhould be laid with a kind touch, rather than fpotted take care that

of the

firft

Thefe

the gradations.

we do

lay,

1 1

of Cjjoudy

and we muft

;

much

not cover too

but confider

as the

principal colour.

From

the lights

we go

to the grada-

when

the lights

are well adapted to produce a

nd fupport

tions

and fhadows

the head,

it is

;

eafy to

for

fall

from them into

whatever kind of fhadows

moft proper for our work

fhall find

then foften

and blend the whole with a long large tool

;

which, with the ftrength and body

of the drying all

oil,

will melt

and l'weeten

together, in fuch a flattering manner,

feem furprilingly

as will

member little

ing.

Re-

finifhed.

the tints will fink, and lofe a

of their ftrength and beauty in dryAll

grounds,

the

walls,

fhould

ii2

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

fhould be finiflied at one painting

want

to be

them with a

little

ifthejf'

drying

oil,

changed,

we may

but

;

glaze

of the dark-fhade and

drove very bare

on which,

;

with a few light touches of the colour that

wanting,

The

hue.

dark

we may improve

may

fhadows

their

alfo

{lengthened and improved by glazing,

which fhould be done

after the

are near finifhed, for fear of

figures

making them

too ftrong.

Rembrandtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

grounds

brighter in the lights, and have

tints

rather

are

more variety

than any other painterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

and

fure

he had obferved, and juftly too,

that

thofe tints diminifh in proportion

with the

lights

have but a

faint

therefore his fhadows

appearance of

tints.

underftood the gradations in perfection,

by mixing and breaking the

firft

lay of

colours,

PAINTING

in OIL

COLOURS.

colburs, fo artfully, that they flatter us in

regard to their real ftrength.

Fresnoy 4t

fays,

of the piElure light,

and 'well

“ Let the field or ground

he pleafant, free , tranfient ,

united with colours which

are of a friendly nature

each other ,

and

“ of finch a mixture as that there may be “ fomething <£

pofes your

“ of your

in it

of every colour that com -

work

— as

were

the contents

palette

Piles

H near of

the

fays,

“ Variety of tints , very

fame

tone , employed in the

fame figure, and often upon

the fame part,

“ with moderation, contribute much

har-

mo?iy.

All loured

the curtains fliould be dead-co-

when we

paint

the ground

;

and

Ihould be done with clean colours, of a I

near

4 PRACTICAL

RULES FOR

near hue to the intended curtain; fuch as

will fupport the finifhing colours.

with a tender

fort

of keeping, and near

in regard to their tone in the lights, but

much

fofter in

All which

the fhadows.

fhouM be mixed and broken with colours of the ground fays,

and, as Frefnoy

;

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Bodies that are bach

in the

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Jhould be painted with colours thofe

of the ground

fign,

the

that

fir ft

;

allied to

often

or fome de-

life,

we cannot make

painting

ground

It will

itjelfB

happen, for want of the

the

the folds in

Ihould then leave

the malfes of light and fhadow, in regard to the keeping of the pidure, broad

well united together, fuch as eafy to finifh on. landfcape, in

brings

which join

them

into

alfo

may feem

colours of the

back-grounds,

broke and foftcned parts

The

and

fhould

with thofe of the

them. keeping

This method ,

which

will

make

PAINTING Snake

all

the parts of the ground as

Were of one do not

parts

OIL COLOURS. 115

itt

piece, fo that the different

nor cut

flare,

at their extre-

mities.

The

fky fhould be broke with the lead

and the

flefh tints

murrey

the

tint

great ufe in the grounds of diflant objects

;

and the umbre and dark-fhade in

the near grounds

the greens fhould be

intend them, be-

beautiful than

caufe

they will fade and grow darker.

After

painted,

all is

Whole very

we it

lightly

fhould go over the

with the foftener, as

did the grounds,

which

look agreeably finifhed.

will

make

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

1 1

ON COPYING. The

artifts in all

each

ftudied

found moft

other,

the

whatever

for their purpofe,

advancement of this,

ages have copied and

art

their art

itfelf

and for the

was

;

they

not for

would foon dwindle

and decay.

Rubens

ftudied principally the

works

of Titian, Paul Veronefe, and Tintoret; that

is,

he copied fuch of their pictures

he thought moft worthy

and kept them

Van Dyck

for his

own

Jkhnmed

their

his imitation, ufe.

copied Titian, and

Venetian fchoolj or, in creamVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

all

the

Pilesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phrafe,

Teniers

cele-

brated for transforming himfelf into as

many

PAINTING many

OIL COLOURS.

mailers as he copied

did fo exactly, that the copies from

it is

which he

Hanne-

the originals.

taken for

are

the originals of that great mafter. feen copies for

by Stone,

undoubted

hard to diftinguifh

Van Dyck

man’s copies of

;

have

fold at great prices

originals, notwithftanding

they were divefted of that free penciling,

and charming variety of fo

Van Dyck.

apparent in

was one of the

laft

had in England

him and

tints,

;

good

Buckfhorn

copiers

we have

the reft that followed

his mafter Lely, foon

to half-artifts.

which are

There

horn’s painting after

dwindled

copy of Bucks-

Van Dyck, which

much

better than

any of

Stone’s, viz. the

picture of the Earl of Strafford and his Secretary in the

Marquis of Rockingham’s *

* Probably at this time in the poffellion of Earl Fitz william.

collection,

n 8 PRACTICAL RULES FOR collection,

which

well painted, and dew

fervedly efteemed.

Every one del Sartoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

heard of Andrea

that has

copy of Leo the tenth, painted

by Raphael and

Romano,

Julio

will

convinced of the great ufe and merit of -copying.

furprifmg that fince the age of

thefe great mailers,

man

one of

able to

make

their pictures

Ihould hereafter

we have

fcarcely

a fine copy ;

arife,

the dellroyers of the

and it

had

from any

fuch a genius

art, if

be feared

they are dif-

fered to go on, will ficoar ofi the remains

of their beauties, fo that very be

left

for

him

to Iludy

;

little

will

and by the end

of this century, there will be none

fit

for

copying.

PAINTING It

OIL COLOURS. 119

man

in vain for a

a fine imitation of

making

to think

any of the

great mailers, without being thoroughly

acquainted with the nature of colours and

of colouring convinced,

;

and without being

at fight

clearly

of the picture he

going to copy, of the method and principles

on which

want of which

this

was painted.

It is

the

knowledge and conviction

leads us into fo

many

errors

and

miftakes.

A Painter, that has of manner*,

acquired any fort

always

will

copying with the fame. are too apt to

fall

underftand

which

into a

the

Now-a-days we manner, before

nature of colours;

the cafe, where fome predomi-

nant colour or hue appears in

tin&ure his

What

all

the

com-

generally termed//*â&#x20AC;&#x2122;-

plexions

;

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

120

plexions alike.

For

whofe carnations

are too red, will certainly

make

this reafon a painter,

his copies blufh

or if his colouring

and Shadows be heavy, they xall

into the obicuro.

whatever

fame for

will

tints

unavoidably

t'etre to

a <c

taint

cure,

Piles

t-oat

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

fays,

change a bad manner

belter

his

the

copying

becaufe he

infedted.

Mons. De 4

the fame rule,

infedt his colouring,

which there

liimfelf

will of courfe

Raphael

very

m colouring for

ISIichael Vlngelo ,

Leonardo da Vinci Julio Romano and , , other great majlers^fpent their

without

And

whole

lives

truly underjlan ding good colouring

though colouring

excellence in copying, yet

the

principal

it is

ncccfary

that every artift fhould avoid a particular

manner with

his pencil, otherwife

will

pertainly be ieen in his work.

From

PAINTING From jed,

in OIL

COLOURS.

what has been

apprehend,

faid

121

this fub-

appears, that the art

of copying, which was pradifed by the great mailers, in otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

excellencies

by which

fo far

ought ufeful,

catch each

and perfections, and

their noble

fo often repeated, is

order

and

works have been as

were renewed,

from deferving contempt,

to be

that

encouraged, as a thing highly

and worthy of efteem.

PRACTICAL RULES

FOR,

OF PAINTING DRAPERIES, In

order to underhand the nature, and

different degrees,

of colours or

in painting

draperies,

how many

divilions

eeffary to

make

the

firft

ufed

determine

abfolutely ne-

are firft

tints

lay of colours,

and, after that, the reflects and finishing tints.

The

right

method of painting drape-

or fatins in general,

ries

the whole, or the lours only

;

and fhade

tint.

For all

the

viz.

firft

lay,

make out

with three co-

the lights, middle

the lights, that

high lights

is,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The

tint,

the colour of

middle

tint

fhould be very near to the general hue

PAINTING of the

fatin,

OIL COLOURS. 123

&c. and of an exadt middle

degree between the high lights and the

The

fhade-tint.

fhade-tint

fhould

dark enough for the general hue of the fhadows, for which reafon

all

it is

called

the

lights

the fhade-tint.

fhould obferve,

that

fhould rather incline to a warmilh hue

and the middle friendly

tint

working

;

made of

fhould be

will

colours, fuch as

always mix of a clean, tender, coldifh hue.

The

tint,

only

therefore this tint

will

the fame colours as the middle

with alfo

lefs

light

mix of

made of

fhade-tint fhould be

;

It is

a tender clean colour.

with thefe three colours we fhould make out the whole, like mezzotinto

;

the

and we beauty

fhould underhand,

that

and character of the

folds, the fliape, atti-

all

tude, and principal lights and fhadcs,

are all

I2 4 all

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

to be confidered

and made with thefc

three colours only; which fhould be done to our fatisfadion before

the refleds or finifhing

The

we add any of tints.

refleds of drapery and fatins are

generally produdions of their own, and are always lighter than the fhadows

which they duced by light,

are found

light, will

warm

colour,

;

and being pro-

confequently have a

mixed with the

colour that receives them.

Here

local

will

be neceflary to obferve the general me-

thod and fecret in managing the colours of the

firft

lay,

and finifhing

the

firft

and thofe of the refleds

tints.

lay, the

high lights fhould

be laid wdth plenty of

ftiff

colour,

and

then fhaped and foftened into charader

with the

middle

tint,

very

corredly.

Where

;

PAINTING Where

in OIL

COLOURS.

125

the gradations of the lights are

flow, as in the large parts,

per to lay the middle

will be proat their

tint JirJt

extremities, with a tool that will drive the

colour, and leave lights will

next ,

make

mix and out

all

fparingly; becaufe the lie

upon

the better

it:

the parts of the fhadows

with the fhade-tint drove bare

comes the middle

tint,

which

ferves as the fecond lights

after this

fills

up, and

and gradations,

and fhould be managed together very nicely, to character, without touching

of the high

lights

which

finifh

the

any firfl:

lay.

The

refle&s and finifhing tints are in

general the antipathies of the

they

will,

firfl;

lay

without great care, poifon and

dirty the colours

on which they are

and therefore fhould be

laid

with a deli-

cate light touch, without foftening.

ti6

PRACTICAL RULES EoR

ovef-done, >/e

cover

which

mud remember

with the colour of the part on

was

dire&ly, or

laid

when

alfo obferve,

may

this is

colours,

fhould

whether the reheds proceed

method of ufing them

Before

be done

dry.

from the fame colour or any the

to re-

other, that

the fame.

proceed to the particular

will

be proper to make fome

obfervations on their grounds.

It often happens, that the colour of the cloth

very improper for the ground

of the drapery fhould change

;

and when

fo,

with thofe colours which

think are moil proper to improve and

fupport the finishing colours.

This me-

thod of dead- colouring muft confequently preferve

them

in their

In dead-colouring,

greateft

fhould

luflre.

lay

the

lights

PAINTING lights

OIL COLOURS. 127

and Ihades in a manner, fo

(hew

only

a faint idea of them, with regard

to the fhape

we have

and roundings of the a defign to

work from, then

will be proper to

make

parts in

their

principal

figure.

all

the large and

places

;

which

fhould always be done with a colour that is

clean,

and

lighter than

the intended

drapery, though in general of the fame

hue

and

let

than a middle

the fhadows be tint: thefe

no darker

fhould be mixed

and broke in a tender manner, and then foftened with a large tool, fo that nothing

rough or uneven be

left to

interrupt or

hurt the character of the finifhing colours*

WHITE SATIN.

ALL

whites

fhould

be painted on

of white grounds, laid with a good body colour,

PRACTICAL 'RULES FOR

128

colour,

into the

ground than any

There the

reafon this colour finks

firft

other.

are four degrees of colours in

lay to

white

fatin

the fine white for the lights the

firft

which

tint,

white and a very to an exadt

white

little

;

the

firft

the fecond

made of

fine

ivory black, mixed

middle degree between the

and middle

follows the white

This

tint.

and

;

colour

with

this

fhould ihape the lights into character,

before

that this

lay

on any

firft

other:

and take care

appear diftin&ly be-

tint

tween the white and the middle

tint,

otherwife the beauty and character of the fatin will be fpoiled.

he middle

tint

white, black, and a

fhould be

little

made of

Indian red: thefe

three colours are very friendly, and i

mix to

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS, 129

to a beautiful clear colour of a pearly hue,

which has

warmth

the true brightnefs and

of the general hue of the

fatin.

member

hue chang-

ing a

to allow for the red

little

make any

If there

to lead.

with the

This colour fhould

alfo

before the white, in

dows

happen on

;

in the

not to cover

all

firft tint

all

light

firft tint

the

little

fhould

touch

;

do,

lights

and fha-

tints

lay

the

and be fure

the part that :

only.

be laid fparingly

middle

which

white with one

with the

occafion to

part in the middle tint lighter,

fhould do

that

Re-

was made will fpoil

the charader, and look like a fpot, for

want of

the

foftening edge or

border,

which muft be between the white and the middle

tint.

made of tint

;

The

fhade-tint fhould be

the fame colour as the middle

but with

lefs

white, fo that

dark enough for the fhadows in general;

with

PRACTICAL RULES FOR make out

with which

parts of the

fhadows nicely

fhould

work of

this is the

Next come

the

firft

the

all

to character

lay.

the reflects and finifhing

tints.

Brown of the

ochre,

mixed with the colour

lights, is the

general for

all

moft ufeful colour in

reflects in draperies that are

produced from

their

own

the co-

made with

accidental reflexes are

All

colours.

lour of the parts from which they are pro-

duced, and the local colours that receive are but

two

reflecting tints

them.

There

wanted

for draperies in general

any one

particular colour

lighter than

darker.

changed on the

palette

one fhould be

the middle tint,

Thefe colours

middle tints,

;

may

the

other

be a

little

with the

firft

and

as occafion requires, or lightly

broken

MlMTING

OIL COLOURS.

131

Broken on the part that receives them: but this laft

The

method

not fo fafe as the other.

dark

tint fufficient for blending; the

fhadows to the mellow tender hue, with the fhade-tint and a

little

made

brown

ochre; which fhould be laid on very fparingly, with foft light touches* for fear of

making them

dull

be over-done,

we may

colour

was

We often firft tint

who was had

laid

and heavy. If it fhould recover

ufed in the

Van Haecken,

fatin.

the belt drapery-painter

in England, did fo

inftead of the blue,

he found

with the

upon.

fee a little blue

of white

;

ever

and fometimes,

he ufed blue-black,

to be a pernicious colour,

was therefore obliged caufe his middle tint,

to ufe

till

and

blue; be-

which was made only

of black and white, was

very cold, that

no other colour but blue would make a

colder

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

colder tint

yet

managed

lie

colours, in

all

lo agreeably,

and

and middle

tints,,

and eafy was his

fo light

we cannot

help admiring, and

learn fomething

from him. Though,

touch, that

may

the lights

thefe cold

he was not

fhadows, which

fo lucky in his

were generally of a heavy

was owing

to the colours

dirty

colour

effedt,

when

mixed with

this

he ufed, and the

method of ufing them; which have fuch an

hue

will

warm

always

or dirty

a clean light one; for,

being mixed together, they will form a dirty colour, that muftconfequently appear lo in the tint

work.

But

his lead or fhade-

had been mixed with Indian red

ftead of the ochre,

in-

and then followed with

a few light blending touches of the ochretint, it

would have

mellow.

It is

the

left

them

clean and

want of the red hue

which makes the white

fatins

appear 1b

often like pewter.

BLUE

PAINTING

in OIL

COLOURS.

*33

BLUE SATIN.

BLUE fatin is made of Prufiian-blue and fine white.

The

beft

ground

for blue

white for

is,

the lights, and black and white for the

fhadows.

The

firft

lay of colours for blue

vided into three degrees or

We fhould

firft

a beautiful azure

;

make then

di-

tints.

the middle tint of

mix

the colour for

the lights about a middle degree between that

and white.

Make

the

fhade-tint

dark enough for the Ihadows in general. All the broad lights fhould be laid with a

plenty of colour, and fhaped to chara&er

with the middle

tint,

before

K- 3

lay

any

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

any other

Remember, the

colours.

left

the colours are mixed, the better they

hand

will appear, and

much

blue fhould be managed with as

care as thofe of white fatin.

follow with the

reft

and then make out

more we it

tint,

the fhadows.

1 he

all

the {hade-tint, the better

drive

The fhadows

tints.

is,

of the middle

receive the reflects

will

for the lights

;

and

finiftiing

fhould be {Length-

ened and blended with ivory-black and

fome of

own

their

mix with them

colour,

into

which

a tender,

will

mellow

hue.

The fatin

;

lights

reflects are

that

is,

made

as thofe

of white

with ochre and fome of the

which fhould be perfectly done,

;

intend

fhadows, proved,

it,

when

there

dry, is

one painting.

may

be a

little

The im-

occafion to alter them,

with

PAINTING

in OIL

COLOURS.

135

with the colours they were made with.

The

Pruffian-blue proper to be ufed,

that

which looks of the moft

azure before

it is

ground

ufed after

will

work and

appear.

Velvet may method

is,

and the fooner

be painted

make

out the

once.

firft

the middle tint and fhade tint

beautiful

ground, the better

it is

;

The

lay with

on which

fhould lay the high lights with light

touches, and finifh the fhadows as thofe of the fatin

tion of velvet

glazing

;

which

did

but the neareft imita-

can make,

done by

prepared on a ground

or dead- colouring of fuch colours as will,

when

dry, bear out and fupport the glaz-

ing colour in

its

higheft perfection.

nature of the glazing colour line tranfparent quality,

with

oil

only

;

fo that

The

to be of a

and ufed limply whatever ground

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

whole

laid on, the

it is

ftin&ly through

blue

The

it.

may

appear di-

beft

ground for

made with white and

the white

ivory-black;

for the high lights, which,

with the middle

tint

and

makes out

the

lay,

Remember

firfl

fhade-tint,

mezzotinto.

make the middle tint

lighter

in proportion to the glazing, becaufe that

make

will

the darker.

ceffary to cover

oil in

tity

any of it

was

if it it

to be

touch the

lights fhould be

of a

fine white,

glazing colour fine

with a

w ith r

large,

nut

quaii-

lights,

fhould

The very

improved, and made

and is

lefs

done once only.

off with a clean rag.

high

verv

not with plenty of

;

the colour, but laid with

than

wipe

often ne-

but the high lights

all

with a thin glazing

left

Prufiian-blue, oil

;

The

dry.

ground

and fhould be

laid

flifnfh tool, that will drive

the colour, as occafion requires.

Fx^INTING on and

the

glazing

laft

finifh the

The

OIL COLOURS. 137

fhould ftrengther*

fhadows.

greatefl fault in the colouring of

draperies

is,

the painting the fhadows with

ftrong glaring colours, which deftroy the

beauty of the the reverfe of

lights.

This

not only

but of nature, whofe

art,

beauty always diminifhes in proportion

with the lights

;

for this reafon

take care to blend

and

fhould

fhadows

foften the

with fuch friendly colours as will agree

with their

local character

Here we may middle

tint,

and

obfcurity.

obferve, that glazing the

which

made of

black and

white, will not produce a colour fo blue, as if

had been prepared with Pruflian-

blue and white ferve

the

;

yet this colour will pre-

beauty of the

highefl perfection,

pbfcure hue,

lights

by reafon of

when

its

the

tender

the bluenefs of the

other

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

ether would only diminiflh them.

method of glazing the blue rule for

all

are glazing blue, the lights

be glazed with ultramarine, though

the other parts are

blue. tity

the general

glazing.

all

When we may

This

done with Pruffian

This method faves a great quan-

of that valuable colour, and anfvvers

our purpofe as well as

had

all

been

done with ultramarine.

Though ing

fatins,

method of paint-

this general

make

the

firft

lay of co-

lours with three degrees of tints

;

yet

fhould underhand, in ufing them, that

they produce two more

for the

mixing

of two different colours together on the cloth, will

make another of

between them and middle

tint

;

a middle tint

with the lights

and with the middle and (hade-

PAINTING fhade-tint tint in

;

the

white

OIL COLOURS. 139

anfwers to the

firft

fatin

;

and the

laft

firft

will con-

fequently be a fort of gradating, or halffhade.

mix

to a

beautiful, clean colour, of a middle

hue

If the lights and middle tint

between both, there

produce a

no occafion

go between them,

for a colour to

the blue fatin

will be

;

but

if in

as in

mixing, they

tint inclining to a dirty

warm

hue, then there muft be another found

of a fympathizing nature, which fhould be laid between them, in order to preferve the beauty of the lights, as the Jn the white fatin

;

for if

the red, in the middle tint, ly dirty

and

firft tint

was not

would

fo,

certain-

fpoil the white.

highly neceffary to underhand

thefe principles of the

firft

lay of colours, in

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

*4Â°

in order to have a perfect knowledge

the general rule of colouring, on which the principles of colouring depend.

SCARLET AND CRIMSON

A LIGHT yellow-red, ochre, light-red, and white,

ground

lor fcarlet; the

made of is

little

The lour

;

will

make

Ihe

mixed with

black.

fecond painting fhould be a

lighter than in

the proper

fhadows are Indian

red, and, in the darkeft parts,

a very

light

little

intend the fmilhing co-

proportion to the glazing, which it

darker.

high

lights,

are vermilion

and

and cloth;

the

white for

fatin,

middle

vermilion and white, with a

velvet,

very

PAINTING Very

little

tint

OIL COLOURS.

lake or Indian red

made with Indian

with the addition of a darkeft fhadows fcarlet

;

the (hade-

red

and

black

little

141

lake,

the

iri

The difference between

and crimfon

is,

that the high lights

of crimfon are whiter, and the middle

made

tint is

made with

darker.

Their refle&s are

light-red

and vermilion. The

high lights (hould be in the fame

manner

for fear of dirtying

and managed

laid

as thofe

them

;

of the blue,

and fometimes

they require to be touched over the

cond time, before we glaze them.

fe-

The

more the colours of the fecond painting are drove, the ealier and better they

be managed to character lights fhould

and be After

left

it is

;

may

but the high

have a good body of colour, with a delicate light touch.

well dry,

(hould hnifh with

glazing the whole with fine lake, and im-

prove the

refledls

and (hadows.

Rememher

;

practical rules for

142

ber that the fcarlet requires but a very thin glazing

and

;

better to glaZe the

it is

crimfon twice over, than lay too

much

one painting.

PINK-COLOUR.

THERE

are

two

different

painting a pink colour

ing

;

the other

for both

;

one

done with

glaz-

body of co-

The fame grounds

lours at one painting.

methods of

whieh fhould be a whitifh

colour, inclining to a yellow, for the lights

and Indian

red, lake,

and white, for the

fhadows.

The method and a

fecond painting for the glazing is

done with the fame

little

vermilion

colours,

for the reflects

and

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS. 143

and vermilion and white lights

with

when

it is

fine lake,

dry

for the high

fhould glaze

and then break and

the Ihadows into character and

foften

harmony

dire&ly.

The

other

lights with tint

with

method

is,

make

the high

carmine and white ; the middle

lake, white,

and a

little

carmine

;

and the Ihadows with lake and Indian red, with a

little

vermilion for the

But remember the Ihadows to be broken with

reflects.

will require

fome tender obfcure

tint.

YELLOW.

THE Ground

for yellow fhould be a

yellowilh white for the lights, and a mixture of the ochres for the Ihadows.

There

PRACTICAL RULES

There

FOft

fame number of

arc the

tint3

in the yellow as there are in the white fatin

the

;

method of ufing them

The

very fame.

The

oil.

changed with a

made with

firft tint is

little

laid

and managed

in white fatin.

The

tint $

as the

middle

tint

brown

ochre,

The

fhade-

foftened with the pearl tint.

made with brown pink and brown

ochre. Thefe belong to the

The

reflects are light

light-red

firft

ochre

times, in the warmeft parts, little

light ochre*

of the pearl

a mixture of the light and

tint is

made with

are

the dark fhade and white

which Ihould be firft tint

the

ground with clean good

kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yellow,

drying

lights

;

lay.

and fome*

mixed with a

the fhadows are ftrength-

ened with brown pink and burnt umbre.

These

colours,

well managed, will pro-

PAINTING in OIL COLOURS. produce a yellow very but

which will be

we is

Van Dyck’s ;

out the king’s yellow,

leave

in the high lights only, then

one of Lely’s favourite yellows.

GREEN.

THE

proper ground for green

light-yellow green light ochre,

;

made of

white, and Pruffian-

little

blue, for the lights

which

and the ochre, brown

;

pink, and Pruflian-blue, for the ffiadows.

The fineft is

made of

green

we have,

for drapery,

king’s yellow, Pruffian-blue,

and brown pink.

The

high lights are

king’s yellow and a very

blue

;

the middle tint has

blue

and the fhade-tint

fome of the middle

tint,

little

Pruflian-

Pruffian-

m^de with

brown

pink, and more?

;

146

practical rules for

PrufTian-bluc

tlows are

brown pink and

The

blue.

but the darkefl: fha-

lights

little

and middle

Pruffian-

fhould

tint

be managed in the fame manner as thofe

The

of the blues.

lhade

kept entirely from the

brown pink

that

tint

lights,

fhould be

becaufe the

will, in

it,

mixing,

dirty them, as the black does thofe of the

Remember

blues.

ing a

to allow for their dry-

darker; and that the kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

little

yellow fhould be ground with good drying

oil

;

for the longer will

It is

drying, the

change and grow darker

and the fooner hand.

it is

ufed, the better

proper to have two

kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

yellow

which

will

;

one

will

forts

be very light,

do belt for the high

lights

velvet.

CHANGEABLE.

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS.

147

CHANGEABLE.

CHANGEABLE with four principal middle

lights,

ing

tint,

colours viz.

tints,

fhade

the high

and

tint,

reflect-

tint.

The

greateft

art

lies

has

more of

finding the

exadl colour of the middle it

made

are

tint

;

becaufe

the general hue of the filk

than any of the others.

The

fhade-tint

of the fame hue with the middle

though

The

it is

high

ferent

tint,

dark enough for the fhadows. lights,

though often very

from the middle

tint,

dif-

fhould be of

a clean, friendly-working colour, that will, in

mixing with

it,

produce a

tint

of a

clean fympathizing hue.

The method make

of painting

filks

out the folds with the fhade

tint,

and

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

and then

fill

the middle

in the lights with

them up

This

tint.

to our

which fhould be done before

the

we add any

ftiffer

The

firft

the middle tint

may

lay,

fatisfa&ion

other colours;

better the high lights it.

the

and

ufed, the

be laid upon

reflecting tint falls generally

upon

the gradating half-ftiades, and fhould be

with tender touches, fparingly, for

laid

fear of fpoiling the

firft

This method of all

coloured

with

filks, as

this difference

painting anfwers to well as changeable,

only, that the plain

colours require not fo

ing the laft

tints, as

part of the

lay.

much

art in

match-

the changeable do.

work

The

the finiflhing, and

{lengthening the fhadows with an obfcure tint,

little

inclining to a mellowifh hue

;

fuch as will not catch the eye, and interrupt the beauty of the lights.

black*

PAINTING in OIL COLOURS.

149

BLACK.

THE

bed;

ground

red for the lights little

for black

light-

and Indian red and a

;

black for the fhadows.

The finifhing colours are, for the lights, black, white,

and a

and more lake and

dle tint has lefs white,

black.

The

fhade-tint

quantity of lake and

very

little

made of an equal

brown

of painting black

their lights clean to

parent.

very

from that of other colours

as the principal thing in

it is

pink, with a

black.

The method different

The mid-

lake.

little

and

them,

clear

to leave

and

tranf-

fhould begin with

the fhade-tint, and glaze over

for

brilliant, fo in black,

keep the fhadows Therefore

;

all

the fha-

dows

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

dows with

Next, lay in the darkeft

it.

fhadows with

black,

and a

fhade-tint, very corredly.

of the

little

After that

fall

the whole breadth of lights with the

middle

only.

tint

done exadly

which fhould be

All

to the cliara&er

&c. and then

finifh

Here we may

of the

with the high

fatin,

lights.

obferve, the ground,

being red, will bear out and fupport the reds,

which

lours

are ufed in the finifhing co-

the lake in the lights takes off the

cold hue, and gives

colour. If the fhade-tint

beautiful

was of any other

colour than a tranfparent

warm

hue, the

fhadows would confequently be black and

heavy

;

ferve the

becaufe no other colours can pre-

warm

brilliancy,

which

want-

ing in the fhadows of the black, like lake

and brown pink. Black nature, and

a cold

heavy

always too ftrong for any other

PAINTING other colour

an allowance

OIL COLOURS.

in ufing

a few reflects in

added

as thofe

fhould be

therefore

;

There

it.

fatin,

Should

make

will be

which Should be

of other colours

made of

;

but they

Strong colours, fuch as

burnt umbre, or brown ochre, mixed with a

little

of the fhade-tint.

Though

the grounds

which

are here

mentioned for the draperies, are absolutely neceflary

for

the principal and neareft

figures in a picture, fuch as a Single portrait,

or the like

;

yet they are not in-

tended for figures, which are placed more into the picture.

Such

as are

behind the

principal or front figures, their grounds fliould

always be

fainter, in proportion to

their local finishing colours.

L 4

LINEN.

;

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

ij2

LINEN.

THE colours ufed in linen are the fame as thofe in

which

white

fatin,

except the

made of white and ultramarine

afhes, inftead of the black,

very light blueifh

firft tint

and mixed

to a

tint.

the dead-colouring

particular care, that the

fhould takg

grounds be

very white and broad in the lights

laid :

the

fhadows are made with black, white, and a

little

white light

Indian red, like the middle tint of fatin.

and

1 hefe ihould be

left

very

clean, in order to fupport the

finifhing colours.

The ing fine

all

fecond painting begins with glazthe lights, with a

ftifF

pencil

and

white only, drove bare, without ufing

any

PAINTING any

oil

OIL COLOURS.

may

the fhadows

with poppy

This

of.

on which we are

With

all

firft

Then with

nicely,

without

tint of

w hite, T

this

and

fhould

foftening.

lay the high lights very

After this comes

with one flroke.

light,

gene-

a large long- pointed pencil,

the fine light blueifh tint,

mixed

lay,

the parts to chara&er, with

touches,

light

fine

degrees,

different

make out

and

the

fatin is the bell colour for the

white,

free

The middle

hue of the fhadows.

ral

be fcumbled

to follow with the finifh-

ing colours dire&ly.

white

and fome of the colour

oil,

they were made

and

which fhould be

laid in the tender gra-

dations very fparingly and lightly, with-

out

filling

them

Remember clear

and

up.

the

diftinfl

the better.

;

firft

lay fhould be left

the

overmixing, and

appears,

joining

154

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

joining

the colours together,

all

fpoils the

beauty of the character

fore

better

it is

add the

reflects

The clear

to let

warm,

dry,

reflex,

there-

;

dry before

and finifhing

method of

colours

which

tints.

letting the beautiful

before

we add

and harmonizing

the tints,

prevents them from mixing, and dirtying

each other.

The

principal blending colours ufed in

the reflects, are the tint,

and the rofe

made of

yellow

which

tint;

lake, Indian red,

green

tint,

laft

and white.

find glazing the pearl

and lead colours

with white, though

feems to anfwer

our purpofe ly fink,

which

when

and be

it is

laid

;

it is

loft

done, will certain-

in the

therefore

grounds on fhould

the dead- colouring as white as

make

intend the

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS. 155

the finifhing colours, fink a

little,

by reafon they

will

in proportion to the colour

of the cloth, which the glazing with pure

white only will recover.

LANDSCAPES.

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

156

LANDSCAPES. Tl-IE

principal

Colours ufed in Land'

fcapes, are, 1.

Fine White.

Common

Fine Light Ochre.

Brown Ochre.

Brown

Burnt Umbre.

Ivory Black.

Pruffian-Blue.

Ultramarine.

White.

Pink.

10. Terra- Verte. 1 1

Lake.

12. Indian 13.

Red.

Vermilion.

14. Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yellow.

The

PAINTING in OIL COLOURS.

The

principal Tints ufed in

157

Land-

fcapes, are, 1.

Light Ochre and White.

Light Ochre,

and

Pruflian-Blue,

White. 3.

Light Ochre and Pruflian-Blue.

The

Terra-Verte and Pruflian-Blue.

fame, darker.

Brown Pink and Pruflian-Blue. Brown Pink and Brown Ochre.

Brown

Pink, Ochre, and Pruflian-

Blue. g.

Indian

Red and White.

10. Ivory Black, Indian Red,

The

colours

louring, are

brown

neceflary for

common

and Lake.

dead-co-

white, light ochre,

ochre, burnt umbre,

Indian red,

ivory black, and Pruflian-blue.

The

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

The

principal colours

and

tints

painting the fky, are line white,

for

ultra-

marine, Pruffian-blue, light ochre, vermilion, lake, and Indian red.

The

tints

are

a fine azure,

lighter

azure, light ochre and white, vermilion

and a

w hite, r

and a

tint

vermilion, and

little

made of white, fome of the

light

azure.

Landscapes fort

of tanned -leather colour ,

made of brown red.

fhould be painted on a

fhadow

ochre, white, and light-

his colour gives a

colours,

which

and

warmth

to the

very agreeable and

proper for glazing.

Sketching^ is

the

fir ft

or rubbing in the deflgn,

work of

the pi&ure.

Tuts

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS.

159

This fhould be done with burnt umbre, drove with drying

and a

oil,

little oil

turpentine, in a faint, light, fcumbling, free

manner,

and water

;

leaving the colour of the cloth

for the lights, as

Remember,

fhade with Indian ink

we do

in doing

that of the paper.

it,

of the fhadows fo dark as lirft

lay,

leave

no part

intend the

or dead- colouring, which

be lighter than the finifhing colours.

though the bed

in,

foliage of the trees

with a

faint fort

And

only rub-

of fcumbling, yet

the trunks and bodies fhould be in their

proper fhapes, with their breadths of light

and fhadow. All kinds of buildings

fliould

be done in the fame manner, leaving the colour of the cloth for their lights. figures

on the fore-ground,

The

they are de-

termined, fhould alfo be fketched in the

fame method, and then

left to

dry.

i6o

PRACTICAL RULES FOE Of dead-colouring.

LET

the

firft

lay or dead-colouring be

without any bright, glaring, or ftrong, dark colours

fo that the

;

to receive

effect

made

and preferve the finifhing

colours, than to

Ihew them

in the

firft

painting.

The

fky fhould be done

the diftances

and

;

then

all

work downwards

firft

;

the middle group, and from that to the

Remem-

fore-ground, and neareft parts. ber that

all

the parts of each group, as

trees, buildings, or the like,

with the group they belong

The is,

all

painted

to.

greateft fecret in dead-colouring

to find the

two colours which

ferve for

the ground of the fhadows in general, the

fky excepted, and the method of ufing

them

;;

MINTING them with is

OIL COLOURS.

the lights

the

the dark-fhade with a

the other colour

natural

hue of the

which and

as is

lake in

umbre.

and then

objects, oil,

in the

laid

fame

fhade with Indian ink,

a fcumbling kind

of glazing;

fuch they fhould be

otherwife, they

changed to the

little

and drove with drying

manner

little

of which

only burnt

Thefe fhould be a

firft

161

left

;

for,

would be dark and heavy,

and therefore would be

entirely fpoiled

for the finifhing glazing.

Both thefe co-

mix and fympathize agreeably with

lours all

the lights, but fhould be laid before.

them.

When the

landfcape

defigned, begin

with the fky, which fhould be a good body of colours, and faint

and

laid

left

with

with a

refemblance of the principal clouds

this

fhould do

in the

manner of

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

of claro obfcuro, than with finishing colours will

the whiter

left,

it is

the better

The

bear out and fupport them.

diftances fhould be

made out faint and ob-

the dark-fhade, and

fcurely with

of their lights in different degrees laid fo, as beft to find

cipal parts.

fall

fome ;

and

and fhew their prin-

As we come more

middle group,

into the into the

by degrees

burnt umbre in thefhades. All the grounds -

of the trees fhould be laid or rubbed in,

enough only

leave

an idea of their

fhapes and fhadows faintly.

The ground

of their fhadows rauft be clean, and lighter than their fihifhing colours, fuch as will ihpport their character, and feern eafy to finifh on.

In painting incline

the. lights,

middle

to the

the very high lights

better

tint,

than to

and obferve to leave

them

PAINTING them with lours,

a fufficient

which

this,

body of

will receive

finifhing colours

may

OIL COLOURS.

clean co-

and preferve the

the better

be done with a few

all

which

tints.

After

;

go over the whole with the fweetener

very lightly, which will foften and mix the colours agreeably for finilhing.

SECOND

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

SECOND PAINTING. BEGIN

with the Iky, and lay in

azure and colours of the horizon

all

;

the

then

foften them. After that lay in the general tint

of the clouds, and finifh on

with

the high lights, and the other tints that are wanting, with light, tender touches

;

then foften the whole with the fweetener

very

lightly.

Remember

the Iky Ihould be done

the finifhing of

all at

one painting,

becaufe the tender character of the clouds will not do fo well as

wet.

when

Obferve, that the

IlifFer

and colours of the horizon better the

clouds

may

the whole

the azure

are laid, the

be painted upon

them.

TnEgreateft diftances are chiefly made with

PAINTING

in OIL

COLOURS.

with the colour of the fky

grow nearer and

darker,

and

;

glazing

fhadow-colours

neareft to the general

they

fhould glaze

and fcumble the parts very fuch

thin,

with

come

hue of the group

the obje&s are in. This glazing fhould be

of a darkifh hue, and the

firft

painting or

dead-colour fhould be feen through

ftin&ly.

or ground,

lay,

this

di-

fhould add the finifhing colours.

Now,

fuppofing this glazed ground

properly adapted to the object and place, it

will be eafy to find

which

are

wanted

the other colours

for the

nifhings of the fame.

But

lights

and

in laying

fi-

them

we muft take great care that we do not fpoil the glazing therefore we fhould be very ;

exaÂŁt in preparing thofe colours on the palette,

and then be fure

to lay

them with

light free touches.

Before

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

Before

proceeding any farther,

will

be proper to fay fomething of the moit ufeful glazing colours.

Terra-Verte, Pruffian-Blue and

Lake, Brown

more we manage them and the more

difiindt

Indian ink,

leave them, the

Band

better their tranfparent beauty will

and appear, provided we do drying

The

Pink, are the four principal.

After thefe four glazing co-

oil.

lours, burnt

with good

umbre

warm brown, and

a very

good glazing,

of great ufe in the

broken grounds and neareR parts

;

but

the moft agreeable colour for the darkeft

fhadows, lake.

It is

the dark {hade improved with a fine

warm

drove with d rvine j

world

oil

no colour

fhadows, and

all is

it is

in the

fweet and fympathifing

mixes harmonioufly with as well as the

when

(hade,

;

the lights, a

charming colour

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS.

colour in the trunks and bodies of

and in

all

167 trees,

kinds of buildings.

make

fhould

the objects

out

all

the ground of

with fuch glazing fhadow-

colours, as feem neareft to the natural

of the object, in that

fituation.

But

hue

as the

principal glazing colours themfelves are

often too ftrong and glaring, they fhould therefore be a

little

with fuch colours

changed, and foftened as

are

of a near re-

femblance to themfelves and the objects.

Thus,

if it is in

the diftances, the terra-

verte and azure,

which

are their principal

glazing colours,

may

be improved and

made and

lighter

with fome of the fky

as the

diftances

the purple.

As we

come get

tints

;

nearer, with

into the

middle group, the terra-verte and Pruftianblue

may

green

be changed with fome of the

tints,

fuch as are

made without white

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

white; for white

glazing colours.

As we approach

group, there

them

;

is lefs

the deftruftion of the

all

firft

occafion for changing

but the fore -ground, and

jects, require all the ftrength

its

ob-

and force of

glazing which the colours are capable of

producing.

After

this glazing

ground,

fhould

follow with ftrengthening the fame in the

ihadows and darkeft

places, in fuch

ner as will feem eafy to finifh the

firft

The

;

man-

which

lay of the fecond painting.

colours that

ing, are in

come next

for finifh*

the degree of middle

Thefe fhould be carefully

laid

over the

greateft breadth of lights, in fuch as not to fpoil

tints.

manner

and cover too much of the

glazing.

polour, as

ftiff as

with a good body of the the pencil can agreeably

manage

PAINTING manage

COLOURS.

in OIL

169

Remember, the

to chara&er.

colours of the middle tint fhould be of a clean, beautiful hue.

methods, all

think

According to thefe

will be eafy to finifh

the fecond painting as

we w ork down, r

from the Iky, through the middle group.

As we come to the fir ft group, where

all

the

objects fhouldappear perfe&ly finifhed, we

Ihould finifh their under or moft diftant parts, before

paint

>^hich appear nearer.

thod

down

to the laft

of the picture

any of the other Obferve

this

me-

and neareft objects

and where

happens

that painting one tree over another does

not pleafe, forbear the fecond, until the firft is

dry.

colours, will parts

Thin, near

better if

dry before

trees,

we add

of different

let

the under

the

finifhing

Cplourg.

THE

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

THE THIRD AND LAST PAINTING. If

oiling

tity that

neceffary, lay the leaft quan-

can be

which fhould be done

;

with a ftump-tool, or pencil, proportioned to the place that

may

oil

to be oiled, fo that

no more than

wipe the whole place a piece of

thod

filk

leave

that

handkerchief.

no more

oil

then

oiled,

with

wanted is

than

this is

me-

proper

for our purpofe.

When jects,

are

fhould

going to

remember

finifh

any ob-

to ufe a great

variety of tints, very near of the fame colour; but moft of

ing trees.

all,

when we

are finifh-

This gives a richnefs

colouring, and produces

harmony.

the

The greens

PAINTING

OIL COLOURS. grow darker

greens will fade, and fore

;

there-

highly necedary to improve and

it is

by exaggerating the

force them,

lights,

and making an allowance in ufing them fo

much

the lighter. For the fame reafon,

we do

fhould take great care that

not

overcharge and fpoil the beauty of the glazing

for

;

and heavy, and

do,

will be

will confequently

dull

grow

darker.

The to

method

make

the

for painting near trees

fil'd

though not quite

lay very near to nature, fo dark, but

degree of a middle

tint,

in the

and follow

with drengthening the fhadows, and im-

proving the middle

tints

;

and lad of

all,

lay the high lights and finifhing colours.

But be

all this

wav

cannot be done as

one painting to

therefore, the

do no more than the

fhould hejl

fil'd

lay

with

PRACTICAL RULES FOR

with the faint fhadows, and leave

dry.

Then dle tints

The

begin with improving the mid-

and Ihadows, and

third

and

laft

work

the lights and finilhing belt

manner we

leaving the

firft

dry.

adding

colours,

are able.

all

in the

This method of

and fecond part to dry

parately, not only eaiier,

them

let

fe-

makes the whole much

and more agreeable, but leaves the

colours in the greateft perfection

;

becaufe

moft of the work may be done with fcumbling and glazing, and fome parts without

The

oiling.

lights alfo

may

be laid with

a better body of colour, wdiich will not be

mixed and

What fame

fpoiled with the

have all

faid

wet ground.

of trees, anfwers the

kinds of fhrubs and bullies.

PAINTING The

lft

OIL COLOURS. 173

figures in a landfcape are the laft

work of

the pi&ure

;

ground fhould be done the diftances next the

firft

will be

and

much

thofe in the forefirft,

and thofe in

for, after the figures in

fartheft

group are painted,

eafier to find the proportions

of thofe in the middle parts of the pi&ure.

And we fhould of the

obferve, that the fhadows,

figures fhould be of the

or colour with thofe

fame hue

of the group, or

place, they are in.

EPITOME

[

EPITOME OF

COLORITTO.

A VERY

valuable work,

now

fcarcely

procurable at any rate, was publifhed the late ingenious

termed

Coloritto , or the

louring

;

lours, all

which

Blon.

Harmony

was

of Co-

the art of mixing co-

in order to reprefent naturally in

the gradations of painting light and

fhade, the is

or any other object that

reprefented in the true and pure light.

After

EPITOME After

COLORITTO.

duly confi dering the philofo-

phy of colours, and

putting his obferva-

tions to the teft of experiment, he thefe conclufions

prefent

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

all vifible

lours, viz.

175

draws

that Painting can re-

objects with three co -

Yellow , Red, and Blue

;

for all

other colours can be compofed of thefe three,

which may be

called primitive

;

for

example,

Yellowl and [make an Orange Colour.

Red Red

and Blue

Blue ! and [make a Green Colour. Yellow J

And

a mixture of the above three original

colours

makes a Black

as alfo

every other

colour whatfoeverj as has been

demonftrated

EPITOME

tyS

COLORITTa

by the invention of printing figures

Ilrated

in their natural colours *.

here to be underftood to

mean

material colours only, not impalpable ones; for the

admixture of the

duce a perfect

all

â&#x20AC;˘white , as Sir Ifaac

But both

has fhewn.

latter will

are the

pro-

Newton

produce of

compounded or

the primitive colours

mixed together ; the one by impalpable 3 the other

material colours.

True Painting iff.

Lights,

reprefents ;

by White*

2d. Shades,

Black.

3d. Reflections, 4th.

N. B. *

The

Turnings

off,

by Blue.

In nature, the general reflex-coprints here alluded to are not very

mon, but may be {tails.

by Yellow.

occafionally

The modern mode

found

com-

brokers-*

of printing in colours is

-Very different.

lour

EPITOME

yellow

but

;

flections, caufed

COLORITTO. all

the accidental re-

by an oppofite body or

objeCt, partake of the colour of the fite

body

The

177

oppo-

that caufed them.

author proceeds next to lay

down

rules for the preparation of the various palettes neceifary in this

ing.

They

are

mode of

reprefented

plates, printed in the

paint-

by copper

genuine colours and

admixtures, with the gradations of tints that are ufed in the different ftages of the

work.

But thefe are more expenfive

than ufeful,

and beautiful

as the

theory

too fimple

need any additional

aid.

[

178

VARNISH* MAKING.

Varnishes are rit

of two

forts, viz.

spi-

Varnifh, and Oil Varnifh.

OBSERVATIONS* ON THE PREPARATION OF SPIRIT VARNISH.

SPIRIT

Varnifh

may

made

the heat of a water-bath (balneum Mariae),

* Thefe obfervations are taken from the

randums of French

Artifts,

who

are the beft

Memomakers

of varnifh of any people in the world.

taking

ON VARNISH-MAKING

179

taking care to clofe the veflel which contains the

materials, in proportion to the

heat required to melt them.

Put

no more

at a

fourths of fpirit of wine

time than three let

;

one fourth

fpace be referred for the ebullition, and for receiving the fpirit of turpentine, with-

out which the varnifli would evaporate.

Let

all

which the varnilh if poflible, at the

the is

folid articles

to confift, be put in,

fame time.

Continue

to heat the veflel

the whole ingredients are diflolved

may

limpid

known by ftate

till

this

the non-refiftance

and

of them.

this period, incorporate the re-

mainder of the

fpirits

of wine, viz. a fourth 2

part,

i8o

ON VARNISH-MAKING.

part,

with the varnilh

ceive

it.

Permit

ready to re-

the whole to mix,

them

ftantly ftirring

water-bath at

now

its

by con-

together, with the

full

heat

;

when

the

varnilh will aflume the appearance of a

uniform

fluid.

Lest any impurity

has intruded,

drain the varnilh, whilft hot, through a line cloth.

Let

before

it is

the varnilh be at reft forfie days ufed.

Spirit Varnilh

its

nature to

for being

oil

varnilh

totally oppofite ;

for

it is

better

new, being apt to grow thick

and yellow by keeping, whereas the other improves in beauty by age.

obser-

ON VARNISH-MAKING.

181

OBSERVATIONS ON THE PREPARATION OP OIL VARNISH.

COPAL

and amber are the principal oil varnifh

ingredients in

;

both thefe

fubftances have the valuable properties of fol.idity

to be

and tranfparency.

The

above fubftances ought never

mixed together

the copal, being

almoft colourlefs, fhould be referved for clear

and

light colouVs

and the amber

;

fhould be employed over gold, or colours

of a fombre hue.

The

beft

mode of

diftolve the copal, or the

The famous

operating

amber, by

Vernis Martin

itfelf,

an exception to

his rule.

before

ON VARNISH-MAKING.

i&2

before the that

oil is

put in

required to diffolve either, will burn

and difcolour the

beeaufe the heat

;

The

oil

oil.

of which the varnifh

com-

pofed fhould be perfectly free from greafinefs,

and carefully bleached.

Watch

of fufion

whole

the inftant of per fed fufion, pour

At by

wooden

for, if the heat be too great, the

will be dilcoloured.

in the oil ed',

;

moment

attentively to the

(which mull be previoufly heat-

little

and

birring

little,

with a

fpatula.

When the fluid

take the pot off the

uniformly mixed,

fire,

and

ftir

it till

this

time,

mix

the prefcribed quantity of

fpirit

of tur-

merely warm.

pentfne,

ON VARNISH-MAKING,

183

pentine, which fhould exceed the quantity

of the

oil.

Remember

was more than warm

oil

on adding the

fire

Strain

cloth, to

that

well,

would catch

if the

of turpentine.

fpirit

the varnifh through a fine

remove

all

impurities.

Should any of the copal, or the am-

ber, remain in the ftrainer undiffolved,

expofe the pieces to the a&ion of the air for a long time, to diflipate the

oil

;

and

be particularly cautious againft ufing them in varniih,

till

this operation is

or the adhering particles of

performed,

oil will

burn,

and difcolour the whole.

10.

very

Oil

varniih, if well preferved,

much improved by

the fame time liable

When,

age

but

grow

therefore, oil varnifh

;

it is

thicker.

about to be ufed,

ON VARNISH-MAKING.

ufea, the

nilh

11.

fpirit

render

by incorporating

fluid, if neceflary,

of the

may

operator

little

of turpentine whilft the var^

made hot

In the

in a water-bath.

hotteft

days of fummer good

old varnifh Ihould be perfectly dry, and free

from tacking,

in the winter, the

flues in

in twenty-four hours

room ought to be heated

the wall, as well to prevent

dull as to imitate the

12.

The

oils

warmth of fuminer,

of poppies and of nuts

are both ufed in the preparation of var-

nifhes

;

but very old linfeed

been drawn without heat

oil,

(termed cold

drawn), and perfedly bleached

as good,

which has

equally

and confiderably cheaper.

GENERAL

[

i8 5

]

GENERAL REMARKS, WORTHY THE ATTENTION OF THE

YARN IS H MAKER. -

All

Varnilhes fhould

of fubftances that are ficcative *

;

be prepared

folid,

glofly,

and

and the liquids in which thefe

fubftances are diflblved fhould be limpid

and

colourlefs.

All

ftances

bituminous and refinous fub-

which

are adapted to the

* Expreflive of a drying quality

new, but

the

making

word is rather

of French extraction.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

GENERAL REMARKS.

of varnifh wiil burn

they are too

become

heated, and will

friable

much

and in-

capable of being polifhed.

The

materials fhould be very pure

and clean, and fhould be rather broken into fmall pieces than pulverized (except

in very particular cafes), becaufe they are lefs liable to

burn, by their not adhering

of the containing,

fo readily to the fides veflefi

in an

The

operation Ihould be performed

open

place,,

if the fpirituous

during the day-light

for,

vapour from the heated

materials fhould take fire,

from a

lighted

candle for infiance, or other ignited body,

the confequences

might be

difaftrous.

cover fhould, therefore, be in readinefs'

(clofely fitted), together

with wetted

to extinguifh the flame.

cloths,

;

GENERAL REMARKS. Some

obferved,

of varnifh, as has been

forts

may

be prepared by the heat of

a water-bath only

;

fire conjiant

Should

and

many

hut as

remember

quire a Wronger heat,

the

187

will to

keep

equable,

burn-to, prevent

its

buffer-

ing by foaking the part inflantly with rits

of wine

ed with

of wine.

fpirit

the varnifh

great care to purify

by draining and keep

fpi-

or apply a comprefs moiflen-

;

When

re^-

through

made, take

much

as poffible,

fine linen, or filk

arrow -mouthed, glazed,

earthen bottles, clofely flopped.

N. B.

Very

their varnifh in

nice

glazed, earthen

and ufe them only once pofe

;

operators

for the

prepare veflels,

fame pur-

they have experienced, that the heat

communicated

GENERAL REMARKS.

communicated ally

may

to the veiTel

occasion-

crack the glazing, which imbibing

fome of the former

varnifh,

may com-

municate a brown colour to the new.

THE giv-en a

late

ingenious Dr. Lewis * has

very valuable account of a

of making amber varnifh. varnifh, of great

many

ufe for

and fuppofed to be the ufed on coaches.

The

It is

mode

a Simple

purpofes,

of the one

bafis

preparation

follows -.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Gently melt the

amber

crucible, then reduce

powder, and

boil the

powder

in linfeed

ture of linfeed oil tine.

Drying

of by the

* See his

into a

oil

and is

workmen

oil,

or a mix-

Spirits

of turpen-

commonly made ;

but

ufe

feems more

"Commercium Philofophico-Technicum,

* 4to, London 1763.â&#x20AC;? eligible

GENERAL REMARKS. eligible to take the

oil

unprepared, that

the boiling requifite for giving the drying quality

may

be employed

time in making

and the

the amber.

the previous melting of the amber,

nature

its

ad upon

the fame

faline

changed, and part of

oily

its

matter expelled, as happens in

common

diftillation

When

of it.

the

not far protraded, the fhin-

diff illation is

ing black * refiduum anfvvers as well as the amber melted

on purpofe.

fome of our chemifts,

Hence

inftead of urging

the diftillation to the utmoft, by which the amber would be reduced to a mere coal, find

tinue the

more advantageous procefs

and part of the

fait

remaining mafs

when have

may

the thinner

only ufed over

oil

arifen, that the

in great

* It has been before obferved that <c

to difcon-

mea-

amber varnifh

gold, and dark colours."

fure

GENERAL REMARKS.

fure foluble in oils, fo as to fupply the

common demand

of the varnifh-makers.

It has generally been thought

amber it

will not at

that

diffolve in oils,

all

has fuffered a decompofition by

Hoffmann

relates

till

fire.

an experiment in his

“ Obfervationes Phyfico-Chemicre ,” which difcovers

folubility in

its

natural ftate.

Powdered amber, with twice of

oil-olive,

glafs

;

veffel,

was put

digefter,

being

filled

When

fire

or ftrong copper

about one-third with

was placed

of the digefter fcrewed

moderate

quantity

into a wide- mouthed

and a

water, the glafs

its

down

it,

the cover

tight,

and a

continued an hour or more

cold, the

amber was found

diffolved

into a gelatinous tranfparent mafs.

In Dr.

Stocker’s

“ Specimen inaugurale

de Succino ,” printed at

Leyden

760, there are

GENERAL REMARKS. are

many more

important experiments,

made by himfelf and of Winterthur.

his friend

They

Ziegler

found that by con-

tinuing a fimmering heat for twelve hours,

and confining the vapour

ware

much

as ftone-

would bear without burfting

veflels

may

(which

be avoided by a fmall notch

in the ftopple),

powdered amber

diifolved

perfectly in exprefied oils, in turpentine,

and balfam of copaiba.

The oil

oil,

and in

of almonds, was of a fine yellowifli

colour oil

folution in rape-feed

;

in linfeed

oil,

gold coloured

of poppies, yellowifli red

of a beautiful red coloured It is

;

in oil-olive,

in oil of nuts, deeper

in oil of bays, of a purple red.

obfervable that this

itfelf,

;

laft oil,

which of

in the greateft heat of the

atmo-

fphere, proves of a thick butyraceous confiftence,

continued fluid

when

the

amber

was

GENERAL REMARKS.

191

was

diflolved in

The

it.

made

folutions

with turpentine, and with balfam of copaiba, were of a deep red colour, and, or*

cooling, hardened into a brittle mafs of

the fame colour. All the folutions mingled perfectly with fpirit of turpentine.

made with pies,

the

oils

Thofe

of linfeed, bays, pop-

and nuts, and with balfam of copaiba

and turpentine, formed hard, tenacious, glofly varnifhes,

which dried

fufficiently

quick, and appeared greatly preferable to thofe

made

in the

common manner from

melted amber.

may

amber varnifh

be otherwife

made, by melting eight ounces of Chio turpentine, and, it

when

fluid,

by degrees a pound of

amber, and

ftirring

perly mixed, fetting

an hour, taking

;

finely

powdered

and when

it off,

pouring into

on a

and

pro-

it is

fire for

ftirring

half

well,

and

;

GENERAL REMARKS. and adding

two ounces of white co-

lophony ( white

refin ).

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Cover

and melt the mafs into a perfect then

let

cool,

and,

when warm

add a pound of linfeed or poppy drying, and hot.

whole, and

warm

Stir

finally

turpentine.

uniformly mixed, it

193

oil,

clofe,

fluid

only,

made

and incorporate the

put

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; When ftrain

a quart

off,

whole

the

and

of is

bottle

for ufe.

A most in France, tin ,

made

under the name of Venus

Mar-

excellent copal vaniiJJj

the

following

manner

a flrong well-glazed earthen pot, in like a chocolate pot, capable

gallon at the leaft; put into

diflolved,

bf finely

add

powdered

Take form

of holding a

four ounces

of Chio or Cyprus turpentine, and this

;

when

eight ounces

bright- yellow

amber

GENERAL REMARKS.

her the

mingle them well, and

;

for a quarter of an

fire

hour

add a pound of eopal broken but not powdered

;

ftir

them on

fet

turpentine

;

when

hour;

fet

gill

the mafs, and add

Cyprus

taking

warm

on the

it off, flirt

the

diflolved,

water

;

when

remove

till

will

ftir

oil,

be as fluid

The mixing

made drying and

however,

poppy,

hot,

a general rule.

and

Give

flick.

of amber with copal

an exception to

again, and put in gra-

the mafs with a deal

fet

the whole

one boil-up, and then cooling

and

white

fineft

dually twenty-four ounces of nut,

or linfeed

he contents,

Let the pot be again

and remain

fire,

fpirit

for half an

fire

and add two ounces of the colophony.

then

in pieces,

four ounces more of Chio or turpentine, and

;

little,

not ufual,

The

varnifh,

excellent.

add

GENERAL REMARKS. add a quart of hot turpentine

on the

when an is

and

fire,

boiling

mouthed

and

ftirring it,

well for a minute

and keep

mix

ufed,

and

;

narrow-

in if

too

a proper quantity

of turpentine by the heat of

fpirit

a water-bath,

N. B.

up once more,

ftone-bottles

when

of the

and the varnifh completed

or more. Strain

thick

replace

additional pint of hot turpentine

to be put in,

boil

195

The

which older

will give

fluidity.

grows, the better

will be.

Good

maftlch varnijb

prepared by

putting twelve ounces of genuine maflich, in tears, to tine, in

one quart of

of turpen-

fpirit

a glazed earthen pot,

gently and

cautioufly heating

and very

them

they are thoroughly incorporated. off,

and

bottle

for

ufe.

till

Strain

N. B. The rnaftich

GENERAL REMARKS.

196

maflich varnifh of the {hops

in gene-

too poor and thin.

ral

For

pictures and paintings in

following varnifh

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

oil,

the

highly recommended

common

not at prefent

;

in the

{hops

Take quart,

of the befl copal varnifh * one

and

fet it

glazed pipkin,

on a moderate

till

it is

hot

fire,

at the

;

in a

fame

time, put one pint and a half of turpentine,

and half a pint of ftrong good dry-

ing-oil into another pipkin

made them

hot,

;

and having

pour the varnifh by

little^

and drying-

and

little

oil,

replacing the pots each time to pre-

into the turpentine

ferve the heat.

corporate

Stir

them

them together

* The Birmingham varnifh

well,

and in-

;

and complete

the beft for this

purpofe.

the

GENERAL REMARKS. the procefs

expeditioufly,

left

197

the

fire

fhould change the colour of the varnifh.

The admixture from cracking

;

oil

but as

delays the drying, in a place free

difturbed for

prevents the varnifh

from

at the

fame time

fhould be laid on

duft,

and remain un-

two or three days.

It will

nourifh and beautify the colours, and will

never be found to chill

MISCEL-

[

i9ÂŤ

]

miscellaneous observations.

When

the

young

pradlice the rules laid

part

of, this

fpeculate

ftudent has put In

down

volume, he

in the former

may

venture to

But here he

experiment.

fhould be extremely cautious

how

he ad-

mits his difcoveries to be introduced.

he too time

haftily receive

fhall

prove to be

what

as valuable, falfe,

will

have

done more injury, and have fpread greater mifchief, than his genius and talents will

counterbalance.

Colouring, however,

capable of improvement, and

deferving

the ferious attention of the

artift

need only of caution, and

flridt

he has

veracity

in his recital.

Amongst

OBSERVATIONS.

Amongst ing,

a variety of modes of work-

of receipts, of

and peculiar forms great

the

mailers,

been collected

199

the

not fo

;

of exhibiting what

have

following

much with

a view

curious, as of ex-

tending the neceflary information for fu-

By being

ture experiment.

well acquaint-

ed with what has been already done, a great deal of time and expence that

would

infallibly

faVed

produce vexation

and difappointment.

A METHOD OF SETTING A PALETTE. I.

The

principal light of flejh

com-

pofed of white and Naples yellow, or

light ochre,

to the

ochre, according

complexion of the perfon

prefented:

fecond

brown

of thefe, form the

to be refirft

and

tints.

White,

MISCELLANEOUS

2co 2.

WpiTE,

light

with 4

red,

little

yellow. 3.

The

fame, a

little

darker.

POR THE MEZZOTINTO. 1.

White,

ed with a 2.

little

The

black,

and yellow, temper-

red.

fame, a

little

darker.

another method of setting 4 PALETTE. 1.

Lights.

Yellow ochre and white.

Ditto.

The

Ditto.

Burnt ochre, a

fame, a

little

darker.

little

yel-

low ochre, and fome white. 4.

Ditto. The fame,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; For a

fine

in the tints

little

darker.

complexion, add vermilion

No. 3 and 4. 5.

Lights.

OBSERVATIONS. Lights.

—

in the cheeks, but

ermilion

neceflary

mixed with white.

Half-tint.

20 ?

— The fame

No.

1, .

with black. *

Second tint.

—

ellow and black ?

with red in the dead.

Third tint.

— Terra

Sienna

fmrnt, with yellow and black. 9.

Reflections.

—Tp No. 3 addyel-

low ochre and brown ochre.

Ditto.—

10.

o No. 4 add lake and

burnt ochre.

Black.

11.

— Lake,

burnt ochre, and

terra di Sienna.

good method

to obferve

thofe colours near each other

monize

for

inftance,

Naples yellow, next yellow,

burnt

ochre,

terra di Sienna, lake,

firft,

to lay

which har-

white, then

light yellow,

vermilion, blue,

dark burnt

umbre burnt and

MISCELLANEOUS

202

and unburnt, ral tints

black.

Place alfo the feve«

made of thefe colours

mony, beginning with each, and

in like har-

lighted

the

arranging thofe of the

degree of ftrength one befide the other.

the

mailers,

when

there

tint,

for

works of many of the bed there

light

example

a dark

or middle

always oppofed to

it.

on foregrounds, or

fecond and third diftances, where fome object, fuch as water, buildings, &o.

kept in fhade,

—

an accidental

light introduced

come

figures, plants,

or elfewhere, are

&c. with

on them,

well off of thofe fhaded parts;

objefls relieve alfo well

light.

when

are

— dark

on the foreground,

thofe behind

regard,

to'

trees,

them their

bright eft lights are generally in the middle;

and

OBSERVATIONS. and the

lights leffen

203

degrees, in pro-

portion to their diftance from the principal light.

muft be obferved,

that the

edges of trees in particular are never to

be too ftrong or hard, even in the moffc {haded parts.

THE following

principle has been ob-

ferved in the vrorks of

fome good paint-

ers.

In painting rocks, roads, &c.

have

laid

they

ground in a fhade of

their

blue-black, ending here and there at the extremities in a reddifh call, of the fhade fide.

Towards

the light or half-tint, they

haye touched upon the fame colours, mixing more or tlierp,

lefs

of yellow or black with

in proportion

the

degree

flrength they intend to produce, leaving

between

their

coolnefs of

half-tints

and

blue-black, as alfo

fhade the

between the

MISCELLANEOUS

204

the half- tints and lights. lights of a

low and

warm

rich

terra di

They caft,

paint the

fuch as yel-

Sienna will produce

;

ob-

ferving to accommodate the whole to the

point of time, or degree of light, they

introduce throughout

which never

fails

the pi&ure,

and

produce harmony j :

when managed

UMBRE,

with judgment.

burnt or unburnt,

an ex-

cellent colour for dead-colouring, as

has

a good body.

CRYSTAL powder lours,

pounded

a very

mixed

an impalpable

good dryer of the co-

either with oil or varnifh*

OBSERVATIONS. IN

order to

205

dry a picture quickly*

place the back towards the

which

fun,

will effe<d the purpofe without detriment

to the colours.

IT firft

of great importance to paint the

and fecond paintings of good body

colours, referving the es for the finifhing,

formed by glazing.

more which It

brilliant is

touch-

to be per-

reafonable to

fuppofe that a proper foundation of ftrong

holding colours

delicate,

neceffary

the

contrary,

make them

order to

lad and bear out the better

under the

;

whilft,

colours are

ufed

the thin and brilliant, the effedt

mud

if folid

be dull and heavy.

and

Befides, if the fined

brighteft colours are ufed in the lird

and fecond colouring, what colours can 7

miscellaneous

so 6

be found to brighten with in the

fi mill-

ing

at pleafure is,

ing-oil

method of re-touching

excellent

and

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to mix equal parts of dry-

clear nut-oil,

brufh moiften

the

and with a fponge parts

be re-

painted.

SOME artifts

prefer

good poppy- oil

nut-oil for re-touching or re-painting over

parts of pictures, conceiving

to change, and

working more

lefs liable

freely

under

the pencil.

Iky, face,

drapery,

&c. are

re-

quired to be retouched in water-colour paintings.

OBSERVATIONS.

20 7

paintings, the back of the pidure

moiftened

which &c.

to be

with a wetted fponge,

after

may

be re-touched, fcumbied,

often as needful.

fucceeds very well

—This

when

painted on fine cloth, or

method

the pidure filk

but not fo

;

well on paper.

prevent

changing, and their original

from ever

the colours for

preferving

beauty,

force

them

and vigour,

the cloths fhould be primed with black

made of burnt white

that

mixed with

peach-ftones, to

fay,

over the cloth, or the

the fecond going

hand, as

laft

termed, fhould be done with

and white, and the pidure and without change

to the

this

black

will be

frefh

laft.

— This was

the general pradice and advice of the late

Mr. George Robertfon, a iandfcapepainter

•

;

MISCELLANEOUS

208

painter of firft-rate abilities,

mory

whofe me-

will be ever reTpeded.

POUSSIN,

well

made

mailers, have

other

great

ufe of the following

colours in draperies with very good effed, Viz. a

yellow under-drapery, with a loofe

upper-drapery of ted, figure

;

his

near that, one clad in a leaden of

(late-coloured upper-drapery, is

a faded pink colour

a dark blue

;

on the next

as half- naked

the fame diftind, in

;

figure,

figures,

light-blue fluffs, others

pink colours

under which

and on thofe near the fore-

â&#x20AC;˘

ground, fuch

with

principal

feme

with faded

and on the figures behind,

fluff,

more broken and

in-

proportion to their diftance^

All thefe colours harmonize well together

but

it is

to be obferved, that they are

low tone, fuch

as old (luffs

of a

produce, and

that the folds are foft as if copied

from a fine

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

OBSERVATIONS. fine fort

of old woollen cloth

rich and

gay

nefs.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;A

filks, full

;

not from

of glare and hard-

buff- coloured waiftcoat,

fhirt fleeves

209

with the

appearing, and the legs either

bare, or covered with a dark-blue or

brown

a drefs frequently ufed

by the

ftocking,

bell mailers in their landfcape figures.

A faded yellow

waiftcoat without fleeves,

or with faded fed fleeves; dark-blue or

yellow breeches, with the legs either bare or covered with a fate or light-coloured

ftocking; are

all

thefe colours harmonize,

worthy of

imitation,

been applied by the

among whom may

firft

and

they have

Italian

artifts,

be named Raffaelle *,

Dominichino, Guido, the Carracci, Pouflin,

&c.

They

beft

coloured

vary them

ufually fluffs,

made

choice of the

and knew

at pleafure,

how

and are therefore

* Sir Jofhua Reynolds* s orthography.

models

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

MISCELLANEOUS

410

models very proper to be attended

The

to.

Flemilh mailers afford examples of

great excellence, but the Italians have been

the moft fuccefsful in this pradice.

order to reprefent the fun or moon

with an amazing or place where

force, lay

glow

body of

fine white

{hall be,

;

fome

upon

or filver leaf (whichever either fun or

fpot

intended the greatefl

it is

light or

on the

moon ) and

varnifh, or

this flick

gold

to be painted,

glaze over with

yellow-lake, brown-pink, or Naples yel-

low, in proportion to the effed of funfhine or

moon- light. This, well managed

in the glazings and re-touchings, will pro-

duce a wonderful effed.

OBSERVATIONS.

reprefent clouds in the

there ought to be a

little

day-tirfte,

mafticot

mixed

with the white, with fometimes more red,

fometimes more yellow, In

tion.

certain places

blue

places

ufe

of,

will be clear

and

red

in the fame

clear Iky, lofing

pencilling

and

difcre-

Iky be ftormy,

the

cafe

muft

manner

;

which

made

as in the

them gradually

in the

finifhing.

THE beft fort of terra di Sienna burnt and mixed with white, and a very ultramarine, lour,

and

make an

little

exquifite flefh co-

fine-toned fky.

INDIAN

MISCELLANEOUS

212

INDIAN makes a

FOR be

fine

red, with true ivory black*

warm

colour.

painting trees

laid in

with ochre

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The trunk

;

in the white

clear parts put a little green,

brown

parts put

little

may and

and in the

black,

adding

green for the fhade both to one and the other.

Tints

may

alfo

be made of blue

and yellow, with here and there fome touches of white,

or mafticot, juft as

often appears in nature.

FOR

herbage, and foliage

fore-grounds, in, lay

them

when in

the ground

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;On

painted

with fea-green

they are yellower, ufe mafticot

the

;

and

in the

fhades

OBSERVATIONS. ihades ufe green, with

brown

213 for fuch as

are withered and dead.

PILES

that Claude-

obferves,

Lorrain added to the tendernefs of his

by glazing.

trees

WHITE

not ufed as a glazing co-

having too

lour, iefs,

may

cefs,

much body

;

neverthe-

be applied with tolerable fuc-

ufed with thin varnifh.

flower-pieces

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;In

the

of Baptifte and others, a

glazing of white

may be

deteded, which

produces a rich effed.

favour of good linfeed-oil,

remarked by M.

Piles,

in his Life

John Vanburgh, commonly

called

John of

;

MISCELLANEOUS

214

of Bruges, that in fearching for a good

old

varnifh he found

medium

beft art

To him

the

has arrived by the means

which

invention

was the

indebted for the perfec-

tion to this

colours.

for

of painting

linfeed-oil

and the works of John

of Bruges, increafmg in beauty, are purchafed 'firft

by the

and afligned

great,

to th<?

places in their cabinets.

PICTURES

that

have been covered

with maftich varnnh and fhut up in a clofe

room

are

frequently mildewed

take off this mildew, the following

thod

recommended

Wafh

me-

the picture

with a clean fponge dipped in an equal quantity of vinegar and water, luke T

*V\

warm,

hich will readily remove the mildew

afterwards, rub the furface gently

till it is

OBSERVATIONS. dry, and moiften

continuing to wipe ture

with purified nut-oil, it

clean off

till

the pic-

reftored.

THE ter,

215

late

Mr. Wilfon, landfcape pain-

had a method of preparing Afphal-

tum, which he ufed with great

fuccefs

Put two ounces of balfam of copaiba into a pipkin, over a flow

fire

let it

;

fimmer,

and add one ounce of afphaltum, bruifed, and

make

much

not take

fpirit

liquid fire.

of turpentine as will

take great care that

The above

compofition

an excellent glazing colour in the fhadows of

flefh, draperies, foregrounds,

particularly in fcumbling.

be advifable to mix tity

may

perhaps

with a fmall quan-

of lake, blue, or terra di Sienna, any

of which colours will it

&c. and

fix

it,

and preferve

from turning black.

AN-

Mir CELL ANEOUS

21 6

ANOTHER

method of preparing

af-

phaltum is,â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to melt two ounces of Venice turpemine over a flow

fire in

a glazed

pipkin, and to add one ounce of bruifed

afphaltum

when

porated, thin

turpentine the

;

the

two

are well incor-

properly with

but in doing

this,

fpirit

take

of off

fire.

POWDERED ufed by fome colour, but

it is

Egyptian

artifls

crucible

long in drying.

Pruflian-blue requires

a good glazing

a colour, and a better dryer,

by burning

mummy

As good

may be made

in a

covered

drying-oil.

order to obtain a very lively and

beautiful green, paint the object,

whether tree.

OBSERVATIONS. tree, it

217

drapery, &c. quite blue, and glaze

over with brown pink, which will pro-

duce the

fineft effect.

A BRILLIANT

green

may

be pro-

duced by painting the ground white, and glazing over

with verdigrife mixed up

with varnifh.

THE

fmoke which

iffues

from the

burning of damp ftraw gives a to drawing-paper, and

line tint

likewife gives

old look to a frelh pi&ure.

218

[

]

WHITE PIGMENTS. taken from a memoir of m. de MORVEAU, READ IN THE ACADEMY OF DIJON.

White

colours in

painting.

the moft important of It

affords

painter the materials of light, diftributes in fuch

his obje&s together,

and art.

that

manner

to give

magic which

For thefe reafons,

be confined to

The

firft

all

to the

which he as to

them

bring relief,

the glory of his

my attention will

this colour.

white which was difcovered,

and

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

219

and indeed the principal one yet known, is

extracted

from

The danger

lead.

the procefs, and the dreadful diftemper â&#x20AC;˘with

which thofe employed

often feized, have

not yet led

are

the

difcovery of another white.

Lefs anxi-

ous about the danger of the

artift

the perfection of the

art,

than

they have va-

ried the preparation, to lender the colour to change.

lefs liable

Hence

the diffe-

rent kinds of white, viz. white of

Crems

in Auftria, white lead in fhells, and white

But every perfon converfant in

cerulfe.

colours thefe

knows

that the foundation of

more or

the calx of lead,

pure, or

more or

That they

all

fubftance will

lefs

of this metallic

evident from

the following experiment, which ftrates

colours

and determines the

lefs

loaded with gas.

participate

indeed

all

demon-

alterability

phlogiftic vapours. I

POURED

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

220 I

poured

into a large glafs bottle a

quantity of liver of fulphur, on a bafts

alkali,

difference.

fixed or volatile, I

fize,

makes no

added fome drops of

vinegar, and bottle

diftilled

covered the mouth of the

with a piece of pafteboard cut to

on which

its

difpofed different famples

of crems, of white lead, and of ceruffe, in oil

and in water

I placed

pafteboard over the

firft,

another ring of

and

tied

above

all

a piece of bladder round the neck of the bottle

with a ftrong packthread.

evident, that in this operation

took ad-

vantage of the means which chemiftry offers to giftic

produce a great quantity of phlo-

vapour, to accomplifh inftantane-

oufly the effect of

many

years

;

and, in

a few words, to apply to the colours the

very fame vapours to which a picture neceffarily expofed, lated

only more accumu-

and concentrated.

fay the fame va-

pour;

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. pour

for

;

fmoke of all

fully eftabliffied, that the

candles, animal exhalations of

kinds, alkalefcent odours, the ele&ric

and even

effluvia,

ally a quantity

light,

furnifh continu-

or lefs of matter, not

only analogous, but identically the fame,

with the vapour of

vitriolic acid

mixed

with fulphur.

happen that the famples of colour

are fenfibly altered

pour, then

we may

tainty, that the

colour

phlogiftic va-

conclude with cer-

materials

of which the

compofed bear a great

to that

vapour

fible to

preferve

and, fince

;

them

any

fituation,

lefs

affe&ed with

and a

by the

entirely

that they it,

affinity

not pof-

from

will be

more or

according to the time

variety of circumftances.

After fome

minutes continuance in

this

vapour,

222

ON WHITE PIGMENTS*

vapour,

examined the famples of co-

lours fubmitted to

them wholly the white

influence,

its

The

altered.

lead both

and found

and

cerufle

water and

oil

were changed into black, and the white of crems into a brownifh

black

and

;

hence thofe colours are bad, and ought to be abandoned.

They may indeed be

de-

fended in fome meafure by varnifh, but this

only retards for a time the contact of

the phlogiftic vapour Iofes

its

humidity,

number of

After lity

;

for as the varnifh

opens an infinite

paflages to this fubtile fluid.

having afcertained the inflabi-

of the whites in

common

ufe,

feveral attempts to difcover fuch as

prove more

lafting

;

made

would

and though many of

thefe attempts were without effedt, I fhall

give

fuccindt

which aaay

account of the whole,

fave a great deal of trouble to

thofe

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

223

who

wilh to travel over the fame

There

are three conditions efiential to

thofe field.

good colour

in painting.

First, That a

body both with

and take

dilute eafily,

oils

and with mucilages,

or at leaft with the one or the other of thefe fub fiances

;

depends on a certain degree of

Where

this affinity

lution eniues in the

new

;

affinity.

too ftrong, a diflo-

the colour

extinguiffied

compofition, and the mafs be-

comes more or the fudden

which

a circumftance

lefs

tranfparent

re-a<ÂŁtion

;

elfe

abforbs the fluid,

and leaves only a dry fubftance, which can never again be foftened. affinity

But

the

be too weak, the particles of colour

are fcarcely fufpended in the fluid,

and they

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

224

they appear on

the

which nothing can

The

canvafs

fix or unite.

second condition

is,

That the

which colours

are

compofed

materials of

do not bear too near an phlogiftic vapour.

which

fand,

affinity

with the

The experiments

fubmitted whites from lead are

the infallible means of

afcertaining the

quality of colours in this refpeft, without

waiting

for

the

flow

impreffion

time.

third

is,

That

tile

;

that

condition

the colouring it

ftance of a

equally eflential

body be not vola-

be not conne&ed with a fub-

weak

texture, fufceptible of

a fpontaneous degeneracy.

This

confi-

deration excludes the greater part of fubftances

which have received 6

their tint

from

vegetable

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. Vegetable organization it

;

at leaft,

to incorporate

impoffible

parts with a combination

After

firft,

makes

their

finer

folid.

my refearches

thefe reflexions,

were difeXed,

225

to the five

pure earths;

next, to the metallic earths, either pure or

precipitated

M. Wen-

Pruflian alkali

zel has difcovered a fixth earth, "which call

eburne, and which,

periments,

ex-

thought of applying to the

purpofes of painting

ed that

after other

;

but

foon perceiv-

would have the fame

fault

with

other kinds of earth, and, befides that,

could not be obtained but

a very con-

fiderable expence.

The

five

pure earths poflefs fixity in

a very great degree, and at the fame time (

* See the article Prussian-blue, in the Materia Piitoria.

are

}

ON WHITE PIGMENTS*

226 are

little

affe&ed by the phlogiftic vapour

but they refufe to unite with cilages,

and the white

guifhed

when they

liquids.

made

are

oils

extin-

totally

mu-

ground with thofe

feveral attempts

on earth

M. Beaume

of alum, not only becaufe

in painting,

recommended

the ufe of

and becaufe

enters into the compofition

of Pruffian-blue

;

ingredient

chief

but alfo becaufe

would unite

whatever manner

confidered,

and other

indicates that

Notwithftanding, I

not yield a white. furprifed at this

which

in a certain degree with

liquors.

diluting

ochres,

earths of that nature, it

treated

But one

want of that

Pruffian-blue the earth

it,

will be lefs

fuccefs,

the

would

when

and

ochres

from alum

only

whereas the vehicle of the colouring body, here

the colour

itfelf.

be convinced of the truth of

this

obfer-

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. bbfervation,

only neceflary to mix

227

equal parts of this earth, or even of clay

hot coloured, with cerufle or any other

white

;

the mixture will be fufceptible of

being ground in

oil

being extinguifhed

or in

;

gum, without

will eafily

unite

with any coloured fubftance, and be pro-

no bad confequences

ductive of

to the

pure earths.

Nature derable

white

;

all

the

for

purpofes

fuch as the jasper white, the

feldspat But

art prefent to us a confl-

number of earthy compofitions

fufficiently

painting

and

white, the

schirl white, &c.

thefe fubftances, in all the trials

made, had the

ready mentioned the fame caufe

fault ;

which

have

al-

and originating from

they wanted a fixed co-

louring body, which would not change

when

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

2 28

when

nor be

pulverized,

when

extin guiilie4

diluted.

The tracted

ultramarine blue, which

from the blue

by the name of

jafper,

lapis lazuli,

ex-

and

known

feems

at firft

to warrant the poffibility of appro-

view

priating to painting vitrified

the opaque half-

all

of the nature of

compofitions

jafper.

Prepossessed with

this idea, I

con-

ceived the hope of producing a true white lapis

;

but

foon perceived that the ex-

periment confirmed the principle which I

had

laid

my obfervations

down from

pure earths

;

fince

not the fubftance

peculiar to the jafper

w hich

the ultramarine

but the

fubftance

which

blue,

conftitutes

metallic

accidentally colours this

particular kind of jafper.

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. In the fame manner,

art, in this

tion of nature, fhould have for to give a

permanent bafe

ready formed, to

and its

lix

augment perhaps

its

229 imita-

obje&

to a colour al-

without altering, its

fplendour and

without attempting to pro-

intenfity,

duce a colour.

In excepting from earthy and falts

all

thofe of

metallic

which the acid

not

completely faturated, which would eafily

of the

attract the moifture

would be a very

eafily dilfolved,

fmall

number

air,

which

you have but

make

experi-

ments on.

The

natural

gives with tailing

oil

and

artificial

a pafte without colour,

fomewhat

honey

better preferved with a this

cafe

selenite

;

its

and

white

gum, but even

refembles a femi-tranfparent

pap.

0.3

Tii

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

230

The

rant

moft

the

duce white.

moft

spat pe~

natural or regenerated

likely fait to pro-

diffolve,

difficult to

others the

all it

appears after

pulverization to be a very fine white, but is

when

fcarcely touched with oil

comes grey and femi-tranfparent mucilage

alters

cernibly

and

its

;

alfo,

although

be-

the

lefs

dif-

does not even refume

white colour

after

becomes dry on

the canvafs.

The

fame

the cafe with the

careous borax, formed by tion of borax in lime water

;

completely extinguifhed with

with

gum

;

but

oufly with the

hardens

latter,

that

cal-

the folu-

its

white

oil,

lefs fo

fo inftantaneit

cannot be

diluted again.

* Perhaps,

ijland cryfal, or refracting fpar .

Cal-

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. Calcareous Tartar,

231

obtained by

calling quicklime into a boiling folution

of cream of the fame

tartar,

manner

mucilaginous water

affected with oil in felenite

but with

;

gives a pretty

good

white, only poflefled of fome reflection,

and appearing

like plafter.

applied very

well to the canvafs, and refilled the phlogiftic

vapour.

According

in his

work

Fabriken und Kunste, pub-

intitled

lifhed

M.Weben,

in 1781, the white called in

many krembser wiess

the vitriol of lead, prepared

Ger-

nothing but

diflolving

lead in nitrous acid, and precipitating vitriolic acid

;

and forming

certain

manner

that

this

the white

white of crems

afterwards

by means of gum water.

into folid tablets It

;

refembles in no

called in

at leaf!

0^4

France the never found tha^.

ON WHITE

232 that

could be diffolveu in vinegar

the white prepared

I tried

benâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manner, as

above

The more

and the

that

;

is,

refult

turned

but

black.

fpeedily than the calces of thofe

on which

meof

which may be of fome

in water-colours, the belt earthy

life

alter

thus, with the exception

calcareous tartar ,

was the fame

of lead and bifmuth

vitriols

And

tals.

PIGMENTS.

have made experiments,

falts

may

or the moft of them, give a bafe to

all,

fome

colours,

but cannot conftitute by

themfelves a colour ufeful in painting.

the

fifteen

known

flances, there are nine calces, viz.

filver,

w hich T

mercury,

timony, bifmuth, zinc, jaefe.

metallic

fub-

yield white

lead, tin, an-

arfenic,

manga-

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. Of over

we may

thefe nine fub fiances

filver

233 pafs

and mercury, becaufe, though

they yield a very fine white, precipitated

by means of pure dry yet air

foon altered

it is

;

that

from

from mercury

when expofed

into yellow.

that lead gives a very

good white, and one which with

oil

liable to

or fize

but that

;

have made, place

shall

unites eafily

it is

change, has been

object to prove

to the

and that

filver into black,

known

well

vegetable alkali,

extremely

principal

and the experiments

;

beyond contradi&ion.

only add, that

there be a

preparation able to correct this fault,

fhould be the precipitation of the earth of this metal,

from an acetous

the Pruflian alkali refults

from

;

folution,

but the white which

this preparation

becomes fenfibly

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

234 fibly

brownifh,

when

expofed a few

minutes only to the phlogiftic vapour.

It would be therefore unreafonable

perfevere in the ufe of this fubftance, or

wifh to render

changes which its

nature,

fixed

;

nee

undergoes do not

the alter

and the indeftrudlible order of

its affinities.

The

calx of tin

eafily applied to

any

purpofe, and experiences no change from the concentrated phi ogi flic vapour. Thefe confiderations induced

endeavour

to obtain this calx perfectly white

here follows the refult of

ments

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The Malacca

a pretty white calx tion I

;

but,

and

experi-

calcined gives

whatever atten-

paid to take off the red furface

which the violence of it

tin

;

the

fire

occafioned,

takes always a fhade of grey

when

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. is

Tin

diluted.

calcined

in fu-

nitre

and grofs calx,

gives a tarnifhed

iion,

235

which continued wafhings could not deprive of a yellowifh

Having

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

tint.

precipitated,

by means of dry

vegetable alkali, a folution of Englifh tin in muriatic acid, after the

Bayen

extracting the arfenic,

for

manner of I

had

a calx of the pureft whitenefs, fo light as to be

and ties

buoyant on the liquor in the

to pafs ;

but

through

fome quanti-

pofTeffes at the

kind of adherence with the

makes the

particles

ter to be incapable

gummy,

filter,

fame time a

which

falts,

remaining on the

fil-

of being pulverized,

femi-tranfparent, and of a yel-

lowifh hue.

in boiling water,

neceiTary to dilute

and afterwards

cine the fediment flightly,

had Tufficient time to

to cal-

when

has

fettle.

HAVE

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

236

have employed

and

the belt Malacca tin

rectified nitrous acid,

the calcination after the It

and have

tried

manner of Meyer.

formed a very white fparkling calx,

which remained iiftency of jelly.'

that

in the filter in the con-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Meanwhile,

was always a

little

obferved

yellow,

mixture of a portion of earth which took, during the operation, the colour of turpeth mineral.

very

fine

white calx

made from

antimony calcined with nitre in fufion

;

but the earth of this femi-metal mull; be placed

combine too vapour. in

oil,

eafily

with

thofe

which

the phlogiftic

Diaphoretic antimony, ground

took in ten minutes a colour like

fulphur, in

The

number of

the

phlogiftic apparatus.

property of bifmuth to give a fine

white

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. white

by the

paint ufed

ladies,

known.

well

eafily prepared, fince

It is

or white

magiftery ,

called

calx,

only ne-

ceflary to diffolve the bifmuth in acid,

and

ter.

It dilutes

lage.

precipitate

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; But

perfe&ly in

by the,phlo-

became completely black

in ten minutes in faCt

and muci-

oil

ought to be re-

this colour

vapour.

nitrous

by means of wa-

jected as the moft alterable giftic

237

apparatus

;

and

this

proved from what happens to

who

perfons

ufe this colour,

when they

are expofed to the vapours of fulphur, garlic,

or any putrid fubftance *,

Zing

furnifhes,

calcination

and

white calx,

when

The fame

will

water, and bathing

all

the proceffes of

precipitation, it is

happen

pretty

pure and feparated

to perfons drinking fait

in the fea

;

well

known

Margate, &c.

from

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

238 from

iron

vitriol

;

otherwife, the preparation of

expofed to the it

when

of zinc will become yellow

from

air.

this folution,

water,

and by

alkali

;

have precipitated

by means of limeand effervefcent

cauftic

have calcined

alone, and with nitre

operations

femi-metal

this

and

all

thefe

have obtained an earthy fub-

ftance of different degrees of whitenefs,

Which,

after

mixed

readily

without lofing

was dried and prepared, with

its

oil

colour

;

and mucilage,

and which ex-

perienced no fenfible change

when

ex-

pofed to the phlogiftic vapour.

These object of

multiply at

valuable

my my

once the

and the

mod

properties, the chief

refearch.es,

engaged

experiments, to determine

mod

occonomical procefs,

advantageous and

infallible

preparation.- -Thefe attempts have con-

vinced

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

239

Vinced me, that the calcination of this femi-metal alone in a crucible, placed horizontally on the corners of a reverberat-

ing furnace, gives the pureft, the whiteft,

and the lead reducible calx

make an

excellent colour,

;

and that to is

to feparate with water the parts

and grind

alum or

with a

precipitated

unburned,

of the earth of

little

chalk, to give

fufficient

Zinc

a body.

Pruflian alkali,

even in

diddled vinegar, retains always a fhade

of yellow, does not unite fo well in

and takes

oil,

femi-tranfparent confidence*

like cheefe.

V kite Arsenic lefs in

from

bed that,

nature:

gum-water

;

much

one would believe

diluting than

its faline

extinguifhes

preferves

and

it is

its

colour

remarkable,

indead of turning black in the phlogidic

ON WHITE PIGMENTS;

2 4o

vapour*

giftic

takes a very diffindt ffiade

This property

of yellow. lingular and

conftant to furnifh

method of analyfmg

know

it.

makes

And

arfenic,

new as

alteration of colour

this

of no ufe in painting, although

deleterious qualities

its

fufficiently

might alone pre-

vent the pra&ice.

The

known by

fe mi- metal

the

name >

alfo a

of manganefe gives

had as,

hopes from

at firft great

contrary to

the

viz.

to feparate

There remained,

difficulty to

little

yellow.

overcome,

from the manganefe the

portion of iron which

and which

from

became white by

the phlogiftic vapour.

one

this colour,

thofe extracted

all

other metals,

therefore, but

white calx.

infallibly

cheapeft manner,

ufually contains,

makes the earth a

accompliffi this in the I

fubmitted the black ore

ON WHITE PIGMENTS-

241

ore of manganefe to a long calcination, to

render

iron

its

infoluble.

wards applied vinegar

ample of M. de precipitating

the

eafily obtained

But

folution

and in

;

alkali,

a pure white precipitate.

with which a phlogiftoa

after the ex-

Peyroufe

foon perceived

it,

after-

that

the

facility

colouring body lofes

lefs

than that of attra&ing

its

an inconvenience it,

and produdive

of the fame alterations.

The

white of manganefe became very

foon yellow

and

this

when expofed

it,

nor Prulfian

alkali

the air;

not to be afcribed to the iron

contained in

fince

galls

had difcovered any

the folution.

therefore, can be of

neither the

This fubftance,

no ufe

producing

a white colour for painting.

PLACED

)

;

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

242

placed (when

made

and

laid the

tartar, different

from

and

tin I

were

apparatus, pieces of cloth,

on which were ous

the experiments

white of calcare-

preparations of white in

zinc,

oil

and water

allowed them to continue expofed

to the phlogiftic

vapour during the

Academy*.

ting of the

were

fuperiority over

their

not altered,

If they

fit-

the

whites in ufe would be fufficiently eftaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The

blifhed.

fitting

continued for near

having been

an hour;

and the

opened,

the colours continued to have

all

bottle

the fame (hade which they had before. I

can, therefore,

recommend

to painters

that thofe three whites, and particularly

of zinc, the preparation of which pofed to lively

lefs

variation, the fhade

and uniform, and, moreover, *

ex-

it is

At Dijon. fit

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. for

fit

at lefs

purpofes, and perhaps procured

all

expence.

will

243

aflert farther,

procured in

that

may

fufficient quantities to

fupply

the place of ceruffe in every branch of the

even in interior houfe-paint-

art,

ing*.

would recommend

it lefs

view of adding new fplendor

with a

to this

kind

of ornament, than for the fafety of thofe

who

are

employed

the fafety of thofe

ornamented in

this

it,

who

inhabit houfes

manner.

But, without being though the procefs

and perhaps for

too fanguine, al-

in the preparation be

fimplified in proportion to the

demand,

as is ufually the cafe,

Would

yet there

not anfwer the purpofes of an inge-

nious Colourman, to prepare and vend

ment

reafon

this pig-

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

;

ON WHITE PIGMENTS.

244

low

to apprehend, that the rufle will

always give

With

in houfe painting.

price of cc-

the preference

regard to thofe

apply colours to nobler purpofes,

who

they will not hefitate to employ the white of zinc.

paid for a

and

allured that four livres

pound of white of crems

believe the white in queftion, pre-

pared in the manner which ed out, might be fold for

have point-

fix.

M. Courtors, conne&ed

with the

laboratory of the

Academy, has already

declared that

ufed in houfe-painting,

lefs in

regard to

fblubiiity;

and

its

unalterability than

this

may

readily believed, as the

enter into

many

thecary.

which

be the more

flowers of zinc

compofitions of the apo-

Courtors has

the art of giving

its

alfo arrived at

more body

the painters

feemed

to this white,

to defire,

and of

ON WHITE PIGMENTS. of making

bear a comparifon

white lead either in water or

only

fault

flowly

found with

when

ufed in

periments which

is its

oil

;

oil.

245 with

The

drying too

but fome ex-

have made, incline

to believe that this fault

may

be eafily

remedied, or greatly corre&ed, by giving it

more body.

At any

rendered liccative a

little

rate,

at pleafure,

may

by adding

of zinc (white copperas)

vitriol

flightly calcined.

Painters ties

of this

know

that

already

fait

;

know

the proper-

but perhaps they do not

mixes with the white of

zinc better than with

any other colour,

for the reafon that they have chemically

the fame bafe.

It is

prepared by depriv-

ing the white copperas of that fmall portion of iron

low

;

which

which would render is

eafily

yel-

done, by digeft-

246

ON WHITE PIGMENTS,

ing a fblution of

the filings of

zinc.

A may

mixture

this fait

thus prepared

be made on the palette, which will

caufe no alteration in the colour, but be

produ&ive of great

effect in

a very fmall

quantity.

FINIS.