Part the third.
Chap. 67. The manner of painting on walls, that is, in fresco; and of coloring the faces of young persons.
I will now teach you to colour. I shall begin with painting on walls, and shall teach you step by step the manner in which you ought to proceed. When you are going to paint on walls, which is the most agreeable of all kinds of painting (1), procure, in the first place, lime and sand, and sift both of them well. If the lime is very rich and fresh, it will require two parts of sand and one of lime. Temper them well together with water, and temper enough to last you fifteen or twenty days. Let the lime rest for some time till it be quite slacked ; for if any heat remain in it, it will crack the plaster (intonaco) (2). When you are going to lay on the mortar (ismaltare), first sweep the wall, and wet it well - you cannot wet it too much ; and let the lime be well stirred with a trowel, and spread it over once or twice, till the intonaco become quite even on the wall. Afterwards, when you are going to work, remember to make the surface of the mortar very stiff, and rather rough. Then, according to the subject or figures you are going to represent, if the intonaco be dry, take some charcoal and make your design. Adjust the proportions, first striking a line through the middle of the space you intend your picture to occupy. Then strike another (i. e. a horizontal) line, and try whether it be even. And in order to determine whether the line in the centre be straight, you must fix to it a string with a leaden weight at the end. Then put one foot of the large compasses on this string; turn the compasses half round on the under side; then put the point of the compasses on the cross where both lines meet, and make the other half circle above, and jou will find that by the lines intersecting each other you will always have a cross on your right hand. There will be a similar cross on your left hand ; and a line drawn from the point of intersection of one cross to that of the other will always be a horizontal line. Then draw with charcoal, as I have before directed you, historical pieces and figures, and divide the space on which you are going to paint into squares of equal size. Next take a small and pointed pencil of bristles, with
a little ochre, without tempera, as liquid as water, and continue to draw your figures, shading them as you did with water-colours when I taught you to draw, and afterwards brush away the charcoal with a feather (3).
Then take a little sinopia without tempera, and with a finely pointed pencil mark out the noses, eyes, hair, and all the extremities and outlines of the figures, and let these figures be divided into an equal number of squares ; for this will enable you to arrange the figures properly, which you are afterwards to colour. Then make your ornaments and accessories as you please. Take some of the before-mentioned lime, stir it well with a trowel until it be of the consistence of ointment. Then consider how much you can paint in a day ; for whatever you cover with the mortar you must finish the same day. It is true that, when you are painting on walls during the damp weather in the spring, the mortar will remain wet until the next day ; but if you can help it, do not delay, because when painting in fresco, that which is finished in one day is the firmest and best, and is the most beautiful work. Then spread over a coat of intonaco rather thin (but not too thin), first wetting the old intonaco. Next take your large hog's hair brush. First steep it in clean water, and wet your mortar with it, and then with a slip of wood as wide as the palm of your hand rub over the intonaco so as to remove the lime where you have put too much, and put more where there is not enough, and thus make your mortar quite smooth. Then wet the mortar with your brush ; if necessary, afterwards rub very smoothly and evenly over the intonaco with the point of the trowel. Then place your plumb-line as usual, and measure off an equal space on the intonaco below in the same manner as you did at first. Let us suppose that you can paint in one day the head only of a young male or female saint, such as that of our most holy Lady. Having thus smoothed the wall with your mortar, procure a glazed vessel ; the vessels should all be glazed, and shaped like drinking-glasses, with wide feet, that they may stand firmly, and not spill the colours. Take
the size of a bean of dark ochre (for there are two kinds of ochre, light and dark) ; and if you have no dark ochre, take light ochre ground very fine, put it into your vase ; and take a little black, the size of a lentil, mix it with the ochre ; take a little bianco sangiovanni, also the size of a bean, and as much light cinabrese as will lie on the point of a penknife ; mix all these colours thoroughly together, and make them very liquid with water, without tempera. Prepare a pencil of hog's bristles, so fine that it may be introduced into the quill of a goose, and with this pencil draw with proper expression the face you are going to paint (remembering that the face is divided into three parts, namely, the forehead, the nose, and the chin, with the mouth) with a little of this colour,
which is called at Florence Verdaccio (4), and at Sienna Bazzeo ; this you should use almost dry. When you have sketched out the form of the face, if the proportions or any other thing should displease you, with a large brush steeped in water rub over the intonaco, and eflace and repair what you have done. Then take a little verde terra, very liquid, in another vase, and with a pencil of hog's bristles, without a point, squeezed with the fingers and thumb of the left hand, begin to shade under the chin, and all those parts which should be darkest, - under the lips, the corners of the mouth, under the nose, and under the eyebrow, making the shade darker near the nose, a little on the edge of the eye towards the ear; and in the same manner shading with judgment the
whole face and hands, which are hereafter to be coloured with the flesh-colour. Next take a pointed pencil of minever, and perfect all the outlines of the nose, eyes, lips, and ears, with the verdaccio. There are some masters who, when the face is advanced thus far, with a little bianco sangiovanni tempered with water put on the high lights in their proper places; then give the rose-colours (rossette) to the lips and cheeks ; then wash over the whole with the flesh-colours very liquid with water, and this will complete the colouring of the head. It is a good plan to retouch afterwards the high lights with a little white. Some painters wash over the whole face with the flesh-colour first, on that they put the verdaccio and carnations, and retouch the lights, and the work is finished (5). This plan is adopted by those only who know but little of the art ; but do you pursue the method of colouring which I shall point out to you, because it was adopted by Giotto, the
great master, who had Taddeo Gaddi, his godson, for his disciple for twenty-four years; his disciple was Agnolo his son ; I was Agnolo's disciple for twelve years, and he shewed me this method, with which Agnolo coloured more agreeably and brilliantly than did Taddeo his father (6).
First take a small vase ; put into it equal quantities of bianco sangiovanni and cinabrese, just as much as you think you shall want. Make them very liquid with clean water; then with a soft pencil of bristles, squeezed between the fingers and thumb as before, pass over the face when you have made the touches with verde terra ; and with this red colour (rossetta) touch in the lips and the colour in the cheeks. My master was accustomed to put the colour in the cheeks nearer the ear than the nose, because it assisted in giving relief to the face, and then he softened it well into the surrounding colours. Then procure three small vases, and make three shades of flesh-colour (incarnazione), that is to say, the darkest is to be lighter by one half than the rossetta, and the other two each lighter than the other in regular gradations. Now take some colour from the little vase containing the lightest tint, and with a very soft pencil of bristles without a point, previously squeezed with the fingers, paint in the lights of the face ; then take the middle tints of the flesh-colour, and paint the middle tints of the face, hands, and bust, when you paint a naked figure. Afterwards take the third vase of flesh-colour, and go to the edges of the shadows, leaving the verde terra always visible in the extremities, and in this manner softening one tint into the other, until it is all covered as well and as evenly as the nature of the work will permit. But if you would have your work appear very brilliant, be careful to keep each tint of flesh-colour in its place, and do not mix one with another. But seeing others work, and practising with your hand, will make you more expert than any other instructions. When you have painted in these carnations, make a tint much lighter - indeed almost white, and use this above the eyebrow, on the light of the nose, the tip of the chin, and the eyelids; then take a dry pencil of minever, and with pure white put on the lights of the eyes, the point of the nose, and a little on the lips, and so touch tenderly all the lights. Then put a little black into another vase, and with a pencil mark out the outlines of the eyes above the lights of the eyes, and make the holes of the nostrils and the interior of the ear. Then put some dark sinopia into another vase, paint the under outline of the eyes, the contour of the nose, the brows, and the mouth, and shade a little under the upper lip, which must be a little darker than the under. When these outlines are finished, dip the same pencil in verdaccio, and retouch the hair ; put on the lights with white, and with light ochre, tempered with water, and a soft brush, cover over the hair as you did the carnations. Mark out the extremities of the shadows with dark ochre, then with a small and very pointed pencil of minever put on the lights of the hair with white and light ochre. Retouch the outlines and extremities of the hair with sinopia as you did on the face, which will finish it And this is sufficient for you with respect to painting youthful faces.
Chap. 68. How to colour the face of an old person in fresco.
When you wish to paint the face of an old man, you must proceed in the same manner as in colouring the face of a young person, except that your verdaccio and carnations must be darker, observing exactly the same method as you did with the head of the young person, in the hands, feet, and bust. If you intend your old man to have his hair and beard grey; after having made out the drawing with a pointed pencil of minever, filled with verdaccio and white, put into a small vase some bianco sangiovanni and a little black, mixed together, and liquid, and with a pencil of bristles, without a point, and very soft, which has been previously squeezed, lay an even tint of colour on the hair and beard ; then make a mixture a little darker, and paint the shades; afterwards with a very small and pointed pencil of minever put on tenderly the lights of the hair and beard. And with such colours you may paint the face.
Chap. 69. How to paint hair and beards many different hues in fresco.
When you would paint hair and beards of other hues, either red, or sandy, or black, or any colour you please, first make out the drawing with verdaccio and white, and then lay on a flat colour in the usual mode, as above mentioned. I warn you, however, to let it be of some colour that you are accustomed to see.
Chap. 70. Of the proportions of the human figure (1).
Before I proceed further, I will make you acquainted with the proportions of a man ; I omit those of a woman, because there is not one of them perfectly proportioned. First, as I have said before, the face is divided into three parts, namely, the forehead, one; the nose, another; and from the nose to the chin, the third: from the edge of the nose the whole length of the eye, one of these parts ; from the corner of the eye to the ear, one part ; from one ear to the other, the length of one face ; from the chin to the beginning of the throat, one part ; the length of the throat, one part ; from the fork {forcelle?) of the throat to the top of the shoulder, one face; and the other shoulder the same; from tlje shoulder to the elbow, one face (2) ; from the elbow to the beginning of the hand, one face and one part ; the length of the hand, one face ; from the fork of the throat to the pit of the stomach, one face ; from the pit of the stomach to the navel, one face ; from the navel to the beginning of the thigh, one face ; from the thigh to the knee, two faces ; from the knee to the heel, two faces ; from the heel to the sole of the foot, one part; the length of the foot, one face (3) The length of a man is equal to his width with the arms extended. The arm with the hand reaches to the middle of the thigh. The whole length of a man is eight faces and two parts. A man has on his left side one rib less than a woman (4). Man should be dark, woman fair, &c I shall not speak of irrational animals, because they appear to have no certain proportions. Draw them as frequently as you can from nature, and you will ascertain them yourself. And this requires much practice.
Chap. 71. How to colour drapery in fresco.
Let us now return to colouring in fresco and on walls. If you wish to colour a drapery, first draw the outlines tenderly with verdaccio(l), and do not let your drawing be too conspicuous, but rather light. Then, whether you choose to make your drapery white, or red, or yellow, or green, or any colour you please, take three small vases, and into one put any colour you please, - we will say red. Take some cinabrese, and add to it a little bianco sangiovanni, and this shall be one gradation of colour ; let it be thoroughly mixed with water. Of the other two colours, make one of a very light tint, - that is to say, put to it plenty of bianco sangiovanni. Next take an equal quantity from these two vases, mix them together, and make a third tint. Now dip a pencil of hog's bristles, rather large and pointed, into the first tint, that is to say, into the darkest, and paint the folds of the drapery in the darkest parts, not covering the middle tints of your figure. Then take the middle tint, lay on a flat colour from one dark fold to another, uniting them and softening them into the extreme shades, and bring this middle tint forward towards the parts which should be in relief, preserving carefully the shape of the naked figure. Then take the third tint, of the Lightest colour, and in the same manner in which you shaped the dark folds of the drapery, shape the light folds, arranging them with grace, propriety, and taste. When you have laid on each colour two or three times (never suffering one tint to take the place of another, or mix with it, except where they unite), soften and blend them together. Then put, in another vase, some colour much lighter than the lightest of the three, and paint the lights on the top of the folds. Into another vase
put pure white, and put in the highest lights. Afterwards, with pure cinabrese glaze the darkest folds and the outlines ; and in general this is all you need do. But by seeing others work, you will understand better than by reading. When you have finished your figures, or historical pieces, leave them so that the lime and colours shall dry thoroughly ; and if any drapery remain to be done when dry (in secco), you must proceed as follows.
Chap. 72. How to colour walls " in secco," and what tempera is proper for that purpose
Any of the colours used in painting in fresco may also be used in secco ; but in fresco some colours cannot be used, as orpiment, cinnabar (1), azzurro della magna, minio, biacca, verderame, and lacca. Those which may be used in fresco are giallorino, bianco sangiovanni, black, ochre, cinabrese, sinopia, verde terra, and amatisto. Colours used in fresco must be made lighter with bianco sangiovanni (2). And if you wish the greens to preserve their green tint, make them lighter with giallorino; when you would have them take the colours of sage, add bianco (3). Those colours which cannot be used in fresco must be made lighter by the addition of biacca, giallorino, or orpiment ; but orpiment is very rarely used : indeed I think it superfluous. To make a light blue, take three of the same kind of small vases as I directed you to use when speaking of the carnation tints and cinabrese, and prepare these in the same manner! except that where you then used
bianco, you should now use biacca, and temper them alL
Two sorts of tempera are good ; but one is better than the other. The first tempera consists of the white and yolk of an egg, into which are put some cuttings from the top of a fig-tree ; beat them well together ; then add some of this tempera moderately! and not in too great quantity, to each of the vases, as if you were diluting wine with water. Then work with your colours, either white, or green, or red, as I directed you in fresco-painting; and proceed with your draperies in the same manner as you did in fresco with tempera, except that you need not wait for it to dry. If you use too much tempera, the colour will be liable to crack, and peel off the wall. Be wise and skilful. Remember before you begin to work, if you wish to make a drapery of lake, or any other colour, take a clean sponge, and having mixed the white and yolk of an egg with about two porringers full of clean water, and beaten them well together; dip the sponge into the tempera and squeeze it half dry, and wash with it the whole of the space on which you mean to paint in secco, and ornament with gold, and then colour it as you please (4). The second kind of tempera is the yolk of the egg only ; and you must know that this tempera is of universal application on walls, on pictures (5), and in fresco, and you cannot use too much of it, but it would be wise to take a middle course.
Before we proceed further, I would have you paint a drapery in secco, in the same manner as you did in fresco, with cinabrese. Now I will give you directions to paint such a one, of ultramarine blue. Take the three vases as usual; into the first put two parts azure and the third biacca ; into the third, two parts biacca and one part azure : mix and temper them as I have directed you. Then take an empty vase, that is to say, the second ; put into it an equal quantity from each of the others, and stir all well together with a pencil of hog's bristles, or a firm pencil of minever without a point ; and with the first colour, that is to say, the darkest, mark out the darkest folds. Take the middle colour, and lay it flat over the middle tints, leaving the lights of the figure. Then take
the third colour, and mark out the light folds which come upon the parts in relief, and unite and soften them with each other, as I shewed you how to do in fresco. Take the lightest colour, add to it some biacca, with tempera, and put on the high lights. Then take a little pure biacca, and retouch a few of the highest lights as the shape of the naked figure requires. Afterwards with pure ultramarine glaze the darkest shades and outlines ; and in this way paint the drapery, according to its situation and colours, without soiling or mixing them one with another, except to soften them. And in this manner use lake, and all other colours which can be used in secco.
Chap. 73. To know how to make a purple colour (colore bisso).
If you would make a beautiful purple colour, take equal quantities of fine lake and ultramarine, and temper them. Then take three vases as above, and leave some of the purple colour to retouch the shades: and of the rest, make three gradations of colour with which to colour the drapery, making each lighter than the other, as before directed.
Chap. 74. To make a purple colour in fresco.
If you would make a purple colour to use in fresco-painting, take indigo and amatisto, and mix them with tempera, as before mentioned, and make four shades. Then paint your drapery.
Chap. 75. To imitate azzurro oltre marino when painting in fresco.
To make a drapery in fresco like ultramarine, mix indigo with bianco sangiovanni, and make them into regular gradations of colour ; then glaze in secco the extreme darks with ultramarine.
Chap. 76. To colour a drapery of a purple or moretto colour (pagonazzo o ver morello) in fresco.
If you would paint in fresco a drapery like lake (1), take amatisto and bianco sangiovanni, and mix your colours in shades as before, and soften and blend them together. Then in secco retouch the extreme shades with pure lake, tempered.
Chap. 77. To make a changeable green drapery in fresco.
If you would make a changeable green drapery for an angel, lay a ground of two shades of carnation, one darker than the other, softening them well together. Then shade the dark part with ultramarine, and the lighter carnation tint shade with terra verde, retouching them in secco. And remember, that every thing you paint in fresco must be finished and retouched in secco with tempera (1). Put on the lights of the drapery in fresco, exactly as I directed you to do with other colours.
Chap. 78. To make a changeable colour called cignerognolo in fresco.
Take bianco sangiovanni and black, and make a grey colour called cignerognolo (1). Lay your colours on the ground of the picture, put on what lights you please with giallorino, and the rest with bianco sangiovanni. For the shades, use either purple, or black, or dark green.
Chap. 79. To make a changeable drapery of lake in secco.
If you would make a changeable drapery in secco, cover it with a flat tint of lake ; use flesh-colour for the lights, or, if you will, giallorino. Glaze the dark parts with pure lake, or purple, with tempera.
Chap. 80. To make a changeable drapery in fresco or in secco, of ochre.
To make a changeable drapery of ochre either in fresco or in secco, cover with flat tints of ochre. Use bianco for the lights ; for the lighter shades, shade with green ; the darker, with black and sinopia, or, if you please, amatisto.
Chap. 81. To make a changeable drapery of a grey (berettino) (1) colour in fresco or in secco.
If you would make a grey drapery, take black and ochre; that is, two parts ochre and the third black. Make your gradations of colour as I have before taught you, in fresco and in secco.
Chap. 82. To paint a drapery in fresco or in secco of a berettino (1) colour, like that of wood.
If you would make a drapery the colour of wood, take ochre, black, and sinopia; two parts ochre, and the other part black and sinopia in equal quantities. With these make the gradations of your colours, in fresco, or in secco, or in distemper.
Chap. 83. To make a drapery of azzurro della magna, or ultramarine, or a mantle for the Virgin.
If you would make a mantle for our Lady of azzurro della magna, or any other drapery that you wish to be of a deep blue, first lay a ground on the mantle or drapery of sinopia and black - two parts sinopia and the third black - having previously marked out the large folds with a bodkin or needle of iron ; then, when painting in fresco, take azzurro della magna, well washed either with lye or with clean water, and grind it for a short time on the stone. Afterwards, if the blue be of a fine and full colour, add to it a little diluted glue, neither too strong nor too weak. Of this I shall here-after speak. Then add to the blue the yolk of an egg: it must be the yolk of an egg laid by a hen fed in the town, because such eggs are of a paler colour : stir it well together
with a soft hog's-hair pencil, and pass it three or four times over the drapery. When the ground is well covered and dry, with a little indigo and black shade the folds of the mantle as well as you can, returning many times over the shades. If you would make it lighter on the knees, or on any other part, scratch off the blue with the handle of the brush. If you lay a ground or a drapery with ultramarine, temper it as azzurro della magna is usually tempered, and go over it two or three times. To shade the folds, take fine lake and a little black, tempered with the yolk of an egg.
Shade them as tenderly as you can, and very neatly, first with a little of this, and afterwards with the iron point ; and make as few folds as you can, because ultramarine does not accord well with other mixtures.
Chap. 84. To make a black drapery, like that of a monk or friar, in fresco and in secco.
If you would paint a black drapery of a monk or friar, take pure black, making your gradations of colour as I before directed you in fresco and in secco tempered.
Chap. 85. A good way of colouring a mountain in fresco or in secco.
If you would paint a mountain in fresco or in secco, make a greenish colour (verdaccio), one part of black and two parts of ochre (1). Make your gradations in fresco with bianco, without tempera ; and in secco use biacca with tempera ; and paint the parts in relief or in shadow as you would paint a figure. And when you have to paint mountains which appear at a distance, make your colours darker (2) ; and if you would have them seem nearer, let your colours be lighter.
ChaP. 86. How to colour trees, plants, and grass, in fresco and in secco.
If you would embellish this mountain with groves of trees and grass, first paint the trunk of the tree with pure black tempered, which cannot be well done in fresco. Then make some of the leaves of dark green or verde azzurro (verde terra is not good for this purpose), and let the foliage be thick.
Make a lighter green with giallorino, and let your leaves he smaller as you draw near the top of the tree. Touch the lights on the top with giallorino alone, and the trees and foliage will appear in relief ; but first, when you have painted the trunk of the tree, draw with chalk (calcina) the branches of the tree, and put on them th% leaves, and afterwards the fruit, and upon the grass draw some flowers and birds.
Chap. 87. How to colour buildings in fresco and in secco.
If you would paint buildings, make them of any size you please, and draw your lines. Paint them with verdaccio, or terra verde, either in fresco or in secco, but let the colour be very liquid: some you may make purple, some cignerognolo, some green, some grey, or any colour you please. Then make a long straight line, one of the edges of which should be curved, where it does not approach to the wall; go over it lightly with the pencil and with colour, and do not daub any part : and you will paint these cornices with great pleasure and delight. And in the same manner paint vases, columns, capitals, porticos, garlands of flowers, pyxes (cibori), and other ornamental parts of the picture. These are orna- mental parts of our art in which you will take great delight
And remember, that the same rules of light and shade which apply to figures, must be observed here with regard to buildings ; therefore, let the cornice which you make at the top of the house incline downwards, towards the obscure (i. e. as it recedes from the eye); and let the middle cornice of the building facing you be quite even : let the cornice at the base of the building ascend in a direction quite contrary to that of the cornice at the top of the building (1).
Chap. 88. How to draw a mountain naturally
If you would have a good model for mountains, so that they should appear natural, procure some large and broken pieces of rock 9 and draw from these, giving them lights and shades as you see them on the stones before you.