C. L A S s. vii
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Brown pink is, the tinging, {hut of fbcbef fsct> getable of a yei^ow dr ocangci colour, prefiifUr tated upon the earth of alum, cuttle-fifh bone, or fbme fuch.Uke calcaripus fubflance. It is, when good, a concentrate yellow, which, the pigment being tranfparent in oil, giyes the! effect of a dark colour, and ferves for deep fhades. It is fomerimes prepared of a warmer, and
fomerimes
I
uSfeb IN PAINTING. 115 . fbftfctimes ‘of'a cooler leint j and as each fort &it$ the p'urpdieS öf particular kinds of paint- .efè, each kind is preferred by feme according '*td fhfcif Wants. Brown pink would bë of great valuein painting, if it could hè depended üpöh With regard to Its Handing: and it was 'Jortttefrfy, Tfrhfeft all the colours of this kind ■'WefC ïftóre honèftly and judicioUlly prepared, ill éhfioft gehérai üfe iii this part or the world: hiit'Sft prefertt It is difficult to find any that "dbes öötfiy, ör has not fome other bad quality; ■parftlctilafty that ÓF fattening to an excefiive aefiïeó; iri'd therefore it i6 nriüch difufed; and ■vml pföbably ini a fliort time be ihtirèly ex- fHödéd ftóni praClicë.
There are many methods óf preparing ttfdm pink i as'there are a great variety of Veg^étóhlej which afford a yellow tinge very tCdpfóully j and ‘which, treated in the fame ittaililër as is praCtifed for making lakes, will aftbèd füch a pigment. But the moft com- rtxióhi'.ahd one of thé beft methods, is as fol-
ftwirsi. ...
:'"M 1%ke of the French berries one pound, “ of fuftic wood in chips half a pound, and
* of pftarl-afhes one pound. Boil them in the tin boiler, with a gallon and a half of
* Water, fbr aH hour: and then ftrain off the ^ tindfUrC through flannel while the fluid is u boiling hot. Having prepared in the mean <c tittle a folution of a pound and a half of u afutn, put it gradually to the tinCture, fb
* long as an ebullition {hall appear. Proceed
' I 2 “ then
1
116 OF ‘THE SUBSTANCES
“ then to wafh the fediment as in the man- <c ner directed for the lakes; and, being “ brought by filtering through paper with a “ linnen-cloth to a proper confidence, dry.il “ on boards in fquare pieces.”
Brown pink may be made of the cuttle- fifii bone difiolved in aqua fortis, in the mannei defcribed p. 58 for lake: and, in that cafe, the precipitation may be made with this folution indead of the folution of alum, by adding it to the tin&ure fo long as it. appears to make any ebullition on the mixture. The folutions of the alum and cuttle-fifh bones may be o- therwife mixt together, and ufed for the fame end; which will be found much better than that of the cuttle-fifh bone alone; for though the common opinion is, that lake or brown pink will dand better, when the bafis is cuttle-fifh bone, than when it is earth of alum* yet the earth of alum is neceflary for attrad- ing and bearing down with it the tinging matter ; which, especially that of the French berries, is apt to remain difiolved in the fluid, and to be carried off with it in wafhing the brown pink.
Brown pink is alfb made without the means of falts in the following manner.
“ Take two pounds of the berries; and “ boil them in a gallon of water for two
hours; and then drain off the tinfture “ carefully through flannel. Prepare in the “ mean time a pound and a half of cuttle-fifh “ bone, by feparating the foft inner part,
“ which
USED IN PAINTING. 117
“ which is capable of being reduced to pow-
“ der, from me hard exterior part, that mult
“ < be thrown away, and levigating it well with
•* water on a marble. Add then the cuttle-
“ fifh bone to the tincture, and evaporate
** them in balneo till the matter becomes of
a ftifF conliftence j when the whole being
•* well mixt by grinding, it may be laid on
c* boards to dry.”
The goodnefs of brown pink mull be judg-
ed of by its tranlparency, and force of colour,
when mixed with oil: but its qualities of Hand-
ing well, and not fattening in oil, which are
lx>th defeats that frequently attend it, can on-
ly be ascertained by trial and experience.
^ Of bijire*
Bilire is the burnt oil extracted from die
foot of wood. It is a brown tranlparent co-
lour, having much the fame effett in water
painting, where alone it is ufed, as brown
pink in oil. Though this colour is extremely
Serviceable in water colours, and much valued
by thole who know and can procure it, yet
it is not in general ufe here, on account, I
imagine, of its being not ealily had of a per-
fect kind j for I have never heard of any that
was good, except what has been brought from
France. Perhaps the principal realbn for this
is, that dry beech-wood affords the bell foot
for making it; and it is not eafy to procure
liich here without mixture of the foot of green
I 3 wood,
II8. OF THE SUBS.TANCE* wood, or other combuftiblcs that deprive, hi for this purpofe: or it i6 poflible,. that they* who have pretended to prepare, it, have hpea ignorant of the- proper means.; there not be?» ing any recipe or dire^tipije iij books, ^ba* treat of thefe, matters, from whence they could, learn them.
Biftr,e may, however, be prepared wjtk great eafe in the following manner.
“ Take any quantity of fpot of dry wood,
<? but let it be of beeefr. where-evet that, can,
“ be procured. Put it intp water in. tb£rptQ*
“ portion of two pounds to a gallon ;, and; tc boil them half ap hour. Then, after the;
“ fluid, has flood fome little- time, to fettle»;
“ but while yet hot, pour off the clearer part “ from the earthy fedinjent at the bottom;
“ and if on ftanding longer i| form another “ earthy- fedime.nt, repeat the fame- method;
“ but this (hould.be apne.onlv while the fluid;
“ remains hot. Evaporate, then the fluid, tp<
“ drynefs: and. what remains will be good,
“ biftre, if the foot wag of a proper kind-
The goodnefs of biftre may oe perceived, by. its warm deep brown colour, and tranfparency* when moiftened with water,
Of brown oker,
Brown oker is a.foflile earth,, the fame withe the other okers, except with.regard, to purity,, and the teint of its colour, which depends, QUr= calcination, either in the. earth, or: aijifidajUy.-
lt
USED IN PAINTING. rrgr
Itfcdf a wan« brown or foul orange colonr; and, as it can be abfohitely depended upon, for ftanding, it is valued by fome in nicer kinds of painting, but mofV ufed, being of ▼ery low price, for coarfer purpofes.
WKeto brb\fw oker is ufed for more delicate kinds of painting, it ought to be weft levigated after it comes1 out of the hand's of the colour- menv if had of them m the gtofs ftate in which? ic is commonly fold: but whoever would have icier the mdftperfeft condition, moft walh it over: which treatment Ihould indeed be bellowed on all pignkdnts of an-earthy texture.
Of umbre.
Umbre is an ochrous earthrof a brown co- l«bur. It was formerly ufed in moll kinds of pointing; but is at prefent neglefted except ojt feme in Water colours. It is valuable on ^Ceountof its property of ftanding well, which it has in common with moft other native earths; and it is fuppofed to have a more drying quality than other okers, which has oc- cafioned it to be much ufed in the making' drying.oils, the japanners gold-fize, and the black oil lacquer.
The umbre is frequently burnt previous to ife being ufed; which renders it more eafy to be levigated; but it gives it at the fame time' a' redder hue. Whether it be ufed in a burnt or unbumt ftate, it is neceflary, however, to walh it over, when it is ufed in miniature I 4 painting,
J20 OF THE SUBSTANCES painting, or for arty nicer purpofes ; and that !•'. all the preparation it requires.
Of ajpbaltum.
Afphaltum is a bituminous oil found in the earth in fome parts of Afia, and probably elfewhere. It has a warm brown colour j and, retaining in fome degree its tranfparency when dry, it anfwers the end of brown pink in oil painting, with the additional advantage of being fecure from flying. It is not in general ufe, nor probably eafily to be procured pure ; but it is certainly ufeful, when to be obtained good. The only objection I have ever heard to it is, that it turns fometimes blackifh; but I never law an inftance of that, though I have known it ufed by feveral: and’ believe that appearance is not owing to any change in its colour, but to that denfity of its. iubftance which it contrafts in drying; and which fhould be allowed for in the application of it.
There is no preparation neceflary to afphaltum previous to its ufe; but it ought to be carefully preferved in a proper phial with a wide neck; otherwife it is fubjeffc to dry, and become too thick for the purpofes of painting.
Afphaltum is very liable to be adulterated by the mixture of turpentine, and other cheap fubftances of a balfamic confiftence, with it; and it is not eafy to diftinguifh th# fraud, but by the appearance: when the afphaltum is
USED IN PA I NT INC. IEI*
good» it ought to be perfectly tranfparent, but; of a warm deep brown colour.
Of the Spanijh juice, or the extraft of liquorice.
The 5panifh juice is the fucculent part of die liquorice root, extracted by decodtion in water; and then ftrained off from the woody orundiflolvable part of the root, and evaporated to drynefs. It is fometimes prepared in this country, but moftly brought from abroad: and is now much ufed as a brown colour in miniature punting from its requiring no trou-, hie to procure it, or render it fit for immediate tile ; and from the fcarcity of good biftre: 'which nevertheiefs, when it is to be had, is greatly preferable to the Spanifh juice; as well
account of the clearnefs of its colour, as ^rom its being free from that vifcid, or fticky quality, which attends the other on the. leaft jmoifture.
CLASS VIII. Of white colours.
Of white flake.
T T HIT E flake is lead corroded by V V means of the preflings of the grape; ^and confequently in fadl a cerufs prepared by ^Jie acid of grapes. It is brought here from ^ttaly; and far furpafles, both with regard to ^lie purity of its whitenefs, and the certainty its flanding, all the cerufs, or white lead,
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