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INTRODUCTION. 
 
 We think we can safely say, that but few mortals can, 
 without disguising their most faithful impressions, resist 
 the desire to admire the numerous productions which of 
 late years have been the result of decorative art! We 
 seem possessed by an irresistible desire to secure some of 
 the thousand and one so charming objects of ornament, 
 which make our homes so attractive, and which we see 
 exposed, with so much taste, in the shop windows on our 
 most fashionable streets. Those innumerable works of 
 art on wood, on glass, on bronze, on porcelain, ivory and 
 other materials both natural and artificial, seem to have 
 become, thanks to the refinement in our tastes and to the 
 general improvement in our ideas, the indispensable 
 companions of our most elegant residences. Nothing is 
 more imposing, more elegant, more decorative, in fact 
 more instructive, than a large collection of bric-a-brac, in 
 which the forms are exquisite, classical and fantastic,'re¬ 
 minding and at the same time representing to us nature’s 
 magnificence, the elevation of our sentiments, past history, 
 and the grandeur of our attainments, etc., etc. 
 
 The rigid outlines and the simplicity of their design, 
 the radiance of the colors, the reflection of the enamel and 
 the profusion of precious metals with which they are 
 decorated, all seem to make them assimilative to our tastes 
 and to our most varied wants. The woman of the world, 
 the enthusiastic amateur, even the scientific searcher, all 
 have devoted some attention, some of their time and 
 savings, to this most interesting study. Rejoicing as we 
 do at the sight of our collections, the fruit often of much 
 patient labor, and sometimes even of great pecuniary 
 sacrifice, how very severe is our chagrin when, by careless¬ 
 ness or some accident, the hand of destruction upsets one 
 or another of our precious works. 
 
 It is mainly to enable the amateur to himself repair in 
 the best possible manner the unfortunate accidents occur¬ 
 ring daily, that the author has undertaken to publish this 
 modest work. 
 
 The growing interest in the study, as well as the collec- 
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
4 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tion of ceramic works, leads ns to hope that this book will 
 meet with a kind reception from the public, whose constant 
 encouragement has so ably helped us whilst working, 
 almost incessantly inspired by the idea of offering sug¬ 
 gestions which will prove useful and practical to the amateur. 
 
 It is deeply to be regretted that workmen of estab¬ 
 lished reputation—in fact, real artists—under the influence 
 of ideas belonging to a former age, have thought it their 
 duty to conceal the means by which they have attained 
 their success and recognition. Not worthy of the grati¬ 
 tude of their colleagues, they have encouraged the many 
 mediocre attempts of those who, having no other aim but 
 that of gain, have left but too plainly the mark of their 
 imbecility upon rare and valuable objects. 
 
 Not being a professional writer, and much less one “ de 
 race,” we ask to be excused for the lack of attractiveness 
 or the want of shape some parts of our work will present 
 to the interested reader; but we have tried our best to 
 make up for that deficiency by the close attention we have 
 paid to every branch relating to this fascinating occupa¬ 
 tion. It has been our aim to generalize little facts that 
 have been unnoticed, overlooked, or intentionally ignored 
 by other essayists on the same subject; and should some 
 of our readers not prove competent to accomplish much 
 work by themselves, it will enable everyone to under¬ 
 stand and to judge, no matter how dangerously injured 
 are the sick, what will help them out best, and how com¬ 
 petent or conscientious have been the “practical doctois 
 to whose care they have been intrusted. _ 
 
 Our own labors, practical experience, together with 
 much valuable information gathered at home and abroad, 
 both from books and intercourse with artists and Clitics, 
 will justify our confidence in hoping for a favorable verdict 
 of a public whose indulgence we earnestly solicit. To the 
 intelligent man, the work of restoration becomes a very 
 pleasant pastime and often quite a remunerative occupa¬ 
 tion. He needs neither the genius of the designer or 
 painter, nor the talents of the sculptor, though practically 
 he may borrow from these fine arts. Variety of resource 
 is the root, ingenuity the trunk, and indefatigable persever¬ 
 ance the crowning glory. 
 
 A. BARTIIELET. 
 
THE 
 
 WORKS OF ART 
 
 AND 
 
 BRIC-S-BR1C DOCTOR. 
 
 BY A. BARTHELET, 
 
 Artist-Repairer of Fine Decorative Wares. 
 
 A THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL EXPOSITION OF ALL THE PRO¬ 
 CESSES EMPLOYED IN THE RESTORATION OF FINE ORNAMENTAL 
 WARES. THE MOST COMPLETE WORK OF THE KIND YET 
 PUBLISHED; THE ONLY ONE IN THE ENGLISH LAN¬ 
 GUAGE ; ACCOMPANIED BY “A HELP TO THE 
 MEMORY," A HANDY LIST OF THE MOST FAMIL¬ 
 IAR NAMES IN CONNECTION WITH CERAMICS, 
 
 INDICATING THEIR SIGNIFICANCE, THE 
 LOCATION OF THE FACTORIES, 
 
 THE DATE OF THEIR ESTAB¬ 
 LISHMENT, THE NA¬ 
 TURE OF THEIR 
 PRODUCTS, ETC. 
 
 Sllnstrateb. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR, 
 
 830 North Tenth St. 
 
 New York ; London ; Paris. 
 
 18S4. 
 
AUTHOR’S NOTE. 
 
 This work, based on purely scientific principles, is 
 entirely reliable; for it is an unrestricted account of what 
 has been taught by a long practical experience, aided by 
 diversified knowledge. 
 
 Distant amateurs, anxious to get advice or supplementary 
 eX p! ,nations, will find their letters welcomed and promptly 
 answered; and parties applying personally will confer a 
 special favor on 
 
 830 N. 10th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 Copyrighted, 1884, by A. Barthelel. 
 
 THE GETTY CENTER 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
THE DOCTOR 
 
 I.—Cleaning the Pieces. 
 
 Before undertaking the description of our 
 processes, we once more beg to solicit the 
 closest attention from our readers. We shall 
 try to repeat ourselves as little as possible, 
 but we think proper to insist on the very 
 punctual fulfilment of our directions. For 
 instance, if we should say, Get your pieces 
 cleaned; to many it would seem sufficient, 
 indicating something they know well enough 
 how to do; some even would feel quite of¬ 
 fended at a recommendation we had no need 
 to make. Still, practice showed us the im¬ 
 portance of little things , and the reason why 
 so many persons have failed in performing 
 the easiest part of the work—the putting to¬ 
 gether of the broken parts. It was not so 
 much on account of not having had the best 
 cement, or lacking the necessary patience; but 
 by not having brought in the cleaning part, 
 the nicety therein required. 
 
 It is of great importance to have, as ex¬ 
 actly as possible, all the pieces of the broken 
 articles; therefore, at the time of the accident, 
 
6 
 
 CLEANING THE PIECES. 
 
 care should be taken to pick them all up, even 
 the smallest ones, and to keep them in a box, 
 the largest ones wrapped in soft paper, the 
 repairing being the more difficult when the 
 sharp edges have been destroyed by rub¬ 
 bing or unnecessary handling. 
 
 Not one piece of fine ware will ever be 
 neatlyjoined together again, and consequently 
 strongly fastened and likely to remain so, if 
 the broken portions are not entirely freed 
 from dust, bruised enamel, loose small chips, 
 grease, or any foreign substance. 
 
 It is especially when it has been previously 
 repaired that extra care should be bestowed 
 upon it; the glue, cement, paint, etc., should 
 be carefully scraped off, or better, dissolved 
 by some one of the processes given hereafter. 
 
 Any piece of bisque, marble, china, glass 
 and alabaster will always be benefited by a 
 thorough cleansing, proceeding with caution 
 should the article have been previously re¬ 
 paired ; portions repaired not being sup¬ 
 posed to stand soaking in water. The above 
 substances can, in general, be subjected to 
 the same treatment; except however, some 
 kinds of fine elaborate pieces, such as sepa, 
 rate flower bouquets, whose colors are mere 
 spirit varnishes laid on, and for some othet 
 ornaments—glass for instance—whose gild- 
 ino- or silvering, for want of adhesive power, 
 will stand but gentle treatment. White soap 
 and cold water are first to be, tried. With a 
 
CLEANING THE PIECES. 
 
 7 
 
 small wet brush or sponge take a quantity of 
 soap brought to a froth ; and, beginning at the 
 top of the piece rub evenly all its parts, renew¬ 
 ing the application of the soap and water until 
 the former remains tolerably white, making use 
 of a stick of soft wood or of a stiff and long¬ 
 haired pencil for the deep cavities not reach¬ 
 able otherwise. Should some soiling not 
 yield to the soap, as is the case with wax, 
 old paint, varnishes, etc., touch these spots 
 with concentrated lye dissolved in about fifty 
 parts of boiling water, or with a strong solu¬ 
 tion of washing soda, using a little stick of 
 soft wood, if necessary. In case some parts 
 have been already repaired with putty—a 
 substance, by the way, that gives the most 
 unsightly results, that it would be pref¬ 
 erable to do over—the said parts should be 
 maintained for about 24 hours in a bath con¬ 
 taining the strong proportion of potash de¬ 
 scribed, occasionally helping the progress of 
 disintegration by carefully passing a fine steel 
 blade between the seams. Owing to the 
 strong dissolving properties of potash, it will 
 be well not to expose the hands in the liquid 
 longer than absolutely required, washing 
 them off after every contact with it; beware 
 also of the wearing apparel. When the articles 
 have to remain for some time in the liquid, 
 none but vessels of china, glass, stoneware or 
 pottery well enameled, should be used. The 
 article being judged sufficiently clean, is well 
 
8 
 
 CLEANING THE PIECES. 
 
 rinsed out in several waters, and set on a folded 
 towel or receptacle to drain its water, in a 
 place free from dust; all the dampness or 
 water remaining in the deep indentations 
 being sponged out with small white rags. 
 Alabaster and some kinds of marbles, being 
 softened by water, will require handling 
 accordingly. In cleaning pieces of these 
 materials, rubbing all over is preferable 
 to soaking, which most likely would affect 
 the plaster with which these ornaments are 
 generally put together. 
 
 In spite of the above treatment, should the 
 piece present yet some foreign adhesive sub¬ 
 stances, these very likely are of the gummy 
 or resinous kind. By exposing the parts 
 before a bright fire, or above the chimney of 
 a lamp, or better, at the flame of a spirit 
 lamp, the substance will soften and can easily 
 be rubbed off with a coarse piece of rag; 
 then, passing over the place, while yet warm, 
 another piece of rag wet with alcohol or 
 spirits of turpentine, the piece will be found 
 to have recovered its absolute cleanliness. 
 Spots on hard and undecorated material, not 
 enameled, can be removed by rubbing with 
 a wet piece of pumice stone, or any fine sharp¬ 
 ening water-stone. On enameled and deco¬ 
 rated china or bisque ware, ink stains are 
 removed with hydrochloric (muriatic) acid; 
 and places that burned substances have 
 blackened will be restored by using sul- 
 
CLEANING THE PIECES. 
 
 9 
 
 phuric acid; of course these latter sub¬ 
 stances should be employed only by careful 
 persons, and the portions touched with them 
 are to be rinsed out in water. 
 
 The treatment of the articles made of softer 
 and more porous materials, such as plaster, 
 clay, terra-cotta, earthen wares, etc., require 
 closer attention ; the salts of potash or soda 
 remaining in the substance, especially under 
 the glazing, being a great obstacle to the 
 execution of the cementing, their affinity for 
 water preventing the thorough drying of the 
 glue, and the salts acting in different ways on 
 the cements or colors employed in the com¬ 
 pletion of the work. It is evident that no 
 strong potash or soda should be made use 
 of for pieces of plaster, clay or terra-cotta 
 painted in oil, nor soaking in water allowed, 
 unless one’s purpose is to remove entirely the 
 said paint from the surface. As for the arti¬ 
 cles of the other class on which potash has 
 been applied, it is necessary that, after having 
 been treated as directed for china or bisque, 
 they should be boiled in water a certain 
 amount of time, or at least soaked in boiling 
 water, in order to remove as much as possi¬ 
 ble of the salt contained therein. This being 
 done they are set in a moderately warm oven 
 until they are thoroughly dried. If, when 
 taken out of the oven, some salty deposit 
 appears at the broken edges, or through 
 some imperfect part of the enamel, the soak- 
 
IO 
 
 CLEANING THE PIECES. 
 
 ing in water should be done once more and 
 the piece dried as before. 
 
 If not to be cemented together at once, 
 the pieces are put in a box, or better, wrapped 
 in separate papers. 
 
 II.— Fine and Coarse Work. 
 
 The work of repairing, in countries where 
 it is extensively carried on, consists of two 
 distinct sorts of occupations. The line 
 drawn between them can easily be explained 
 by the reason that some of these wares are 
 acquired and kept as mere pieces of ornament, 
 curious relics, or valued by us on account 
 of the recollections their possession call 
 forth; while others are intended for daily 
 use. 
 
 In this book, particularly devoted to the 
 collector’s or amateur’s use, we want, above 
 all, to tell how to restore articles in the most 
 perfect and unnoticeable way, regardless of 
 the uses for which some of them have been 
 intended. There only exists the genuine 
 art, and the one who adopts it as his special 
 calling is a works-of-art restorer. 
 
 Our readers will very soon understand, by 
 the nature of the cement which an article 
 will join with, what amount of external 
 influence it will be likely to resist unim¬ 
 paired. Amid the number of cement receipts 
 we give in the following chapters, ample op¬ 
 portunity will be offered to choose one that 
 
FINE AND COARSE WORK. I I 
 
 will answer the purpose, and combine as far 
 as possible strength with good appearances. 
 However, it should be remembered that 
 articles repaired, on which missing parts had 
 to be provided for, or on which paint, of 
 whatever kind, has been applied, require 
 judicious care if put into further use, referring 
 specially to the bringing of them in close 
 contact with water. They will always be 
 more or less damaged, and their subsequent 
 use is not to be attempted without risks. 
 
 The china mender differs from the former 
 for the reason that his assistance is espe¬ 
 cially required for articles destined for con¬ 
 stant use, such as dishes, pitchers, lids, flower¬ 
 pots, fountains, garden seats and other articles 
 of coarser description. 
 
 Strength and durability, united with cheap¬ 
 ness of workmanship and promptness of 
 execution, are sought for to the exclusion of 
 any other consideration. His work is more 
 of the mechanical kind, requiring but a few 
 tools, and a very limited amount of knowl¬ 
 edge. 
 
 The three substances he is especially ac¬ 
 quainted with are plaster, gum shellac, and 
 some kinds of white putty. The joining by 
 means of clasps or rivets is his specialty, 
 and very seldom does he pay attention to the 
 lock of his work. For want of training, which 
 would little benefit his work, he seldom in¬ 
 dulges in the use of colors, the more to his 
 
12 A CEMENT NOT VET DISCOVERED. 
 
 credit, and the better for his customers’ 
 wares. 
 
 III. — A Cement not yet Discovered. 
 
 It is said of a German alchemist, the Baron 
 de Botticher, living in the early part of the 
 eighteenth century, that he was wise enough 
 to abandon his fruitless investigations about 
 the philosopher’s stone (the great problem 
 of that time), and to turn his attention 
 towards the study and manufacture of china, 
 with which his name is now so intimately 
 and so eminently connected. 
 
 Some comparison could be established 
 between this celebrated scientist and some 
 of our modern inventors of china mucilage, 
 with this difference, however, that they all 
 claim to have succeeded (read their advertise¬ 
 ments) in the discovery of a ceramic cement, 
 their philosopher's stone, while, in fact, they 
 do not evince much knowledge (see the 
 nature of their compounds) about either the 
 composition of china itself, or the nature 
 of the ingredients they use, to back up the 
 gross misrepresentation they impose upon 
 the believers in their so-called discoveries. 
 
 So far as we have been able to ascertain 
 by repeated trials on many samples, and 
 however improved these glues may be, they 
 seem to answer very poorly to stick fast either 
 the china or the names of their authors in 
 the annals of history. 
 
A CEMENT NOT YET DISCOVERED. 1 3 
 
 To deserve the qualification of ceramic, a 
 cement ought to possess very extraordinary 
 qualities. 
 
 1st. It must be a mere liquid ; for the solid 
 particles it would contain, whatever the de¬ 
 gree of their tenuity, and especially when a 
 number of pieces are to be joined in a small 
 space, would make volume and prevent the 
 juxtaposition of the last pieces, thus forming 
 a ridge at the edges of the articles, on its 
 surface sometimes, showing a lack of con¬ 
 tinuity in the lines of the ornaments or design. 
 It would be most objectionable to fine work. 
 
 2d. It must be colorless and not contain 
 dangerous ingredients, neither acids nor 
 alkalies, liable to alter the substances the 
 article is destined to contain, or to be altered 
 by them ; among the latter being principally 
 water, fruit acids, fatty or alkaline matters; 
 to say nothing of the resistance to a steady 
 temperature of at least that of boiling water. 
 
 3d. It must form no insoluble deposit, ex¬ 
 cept such as can be easily removed by the 
 use of chemicals of moderate cost, for, in 
 case of failure in the first application of it, 
 the article would be irremediably lost, espe¬ 
 cially if any quantity of it should spill or 
 drop on the outer part of a fine and costly 
 piece. 
 
 4th. It must not evaporate too quickly, 
 nor take too long to dry ; not be too thin nor 
 too thick; be harmless to the operator, keep 
 good, be handy, be cheap in price, etc., etc. 
 
A CEMENT NOT YET DISCOVERED. 
 
 In short, to meet the requirements, it 
 should possess all the remarkable resisting 
 qualities of enamel, without requiring the 
 great care and experience necessary for the 
 preparation and application of the latter on 
 pottery not already cracked or broken. 
 
 We shall always be found ready to help 
 the searcher, for indeed we think the discov¬ 
 ery worth while to be made. After having 
 set forth the reasons why the numerous 
 cement preparations fall short of their re¬ 
 quirements, we hardly need to say that one 
 cement cannot answer all the ends of the re¬ 
 storer. 
 
 If adhesive to a hard and unsoakable sub¬ 
 stance, as china, glass, or metal, surely it will 
 not work in like manner on such all-absorb¬ 
 ing materials as wood or plaster—a porous 
 substance requiring a thicker glue than a 
 nonporous one, thus offering more chances 
 for a lasting piece of work. 
 
 Were we in possession of such an arti¬ 
 cle, so much sought after—a stick-all-fast 
 cement—how limited would be the use that 
 could be made of it? It would certainly be 
 the thing for a piece merely cracked, or whose 
 parts are neatly broken, and but few in num¬ 
 ber. Unfortunately enough, hard bodies 
 produce generally a great number of them, 
 often too small to be advantageously utilized. 
 Some of them, being bruised or lost, are to be 
 provided for by artificial substances, which 
 
A CEMENT NOT YET DISCOVERED. 15 
 
 themselves, in their turn, must be painted, 
 decorated or glossed, to match the adjacent 
 parts. 
 
 Therefore we ought not to be too much dis¬ 
 tressed and so particular about the perfect¬ 
 ness of the cement, having happily, a num¬ 
 ber of handy substances that will answer 
 our purpose, at least so far as our work is 
 confined to purely ornamental wares. 
 
 IV.—Cementing Work. 
 
 Being ready to join together the pieces, 
 we free them from dust, and, if operating on 
 small ones, we spread them out on a piece 
 of white paper and arrange them in their 
 respective order. It is preferable to start 
 with the larger ones ; and, if parts of a piece 
 that has a base, we begin with the pieces of 
 that lower part. We will suppose it is a 
 piece of china, for which we use the prepared 
 glue. Before using any glue, we try the 
 fitting of a few pieces, and having ascertained 
 that they fit absolutely close, we spread over 
 both edges a thin coat of cement by means 
 of a small brush, following closely the pro¬ 
 gress of it so as to pick out any impurity it 
 might leave behind in the glue, in spite of 
 our efforts to have it perfectly clean. With¬ 
 out giving the cement time to dry or even 
 to cool, we press them gently together, 
 
l6 CEMENTING WORK. 
 
 watching the extremities, pressing gradually, 
 until we are sure they fit well. This may be 
 ascertained by the lines of the decoration and 
 by passing the finger nail across the seam, 
 holding both pieces vertically; no ridge 
 should be felt if in their proper place; then 
 they are left one side to dry partially. 
 
 The pot containing the glue should be 
 kept in a warm place or deposited in a ves¬ 
 sel containing some warm water; it must 
 not be hot, but just warm enough to keep 
 the glue in a liquid condition. The small 
 pencil or brush is to be kept free from lumps, 
 and the glue maintained in good liquid order 
 by adding a little warm water when becom¬ 
 ing evaporated. During cold weather the 
 work should be done in a warm room, to 
 avoid the glue getting chilled on application. 
 Some persons heat the pieces or work at the 
 side of a stove, so as to pass the pieces over 
 it at the time of joining, sometimes using 
 but a small spirit lamp. In adding the 
 pieces, care should be taken not to leave any 
 small china particles behind, for by trying to 
 press them in afterwards, it would loosen the 
 more important parts; also, not to spread 
 the glue to the very end of the edges ; for by 
 being squeezed out it would form a lump at 
 the angles and prevent the good setting of 
 the subsequent pieces. Attention is to be 
 paid to the order in which they ought to be 
 placed, for some, by their peculiar shape, 
 
CEMENTING WORK. 
 
 17 
 
 would prevent the setting of the following 
 ones. Having put together a few, we give 
 them time to dry partially, say fifteen min¬ 
 utes. If it is a flat piece, we lay it vertically 
 in a secure position; if, on the contrary, 
 deep, round, oval or square, we tie a string 
 several times around it. Then we proceed 
 to the remaining parts, making use again of 
 glue, but after being well aware how the 
 pieces fit in their dry state. 
 
 When the whole is united together, the 
 article is left to dry for 24 hours; after that 
 time the glue squeezed from the joined parts 
 is scraped off with a penknife, and, in order 
 not to leave the least amount of it along the 
 seams, a clean white rag, just moist with 
 water, is passed over them, lengthwise. 
 Being set aside a couple of hours more, the 
 piece is ready for the filling up. (See Chap¬ 
 ter XVI.) 
 
 V.— Different Cements—Prepared Glue. 
 
 Of all the cements that are compounded, 
 glue is still the most serviceable and the 
 most universally employed. The facility of 
 its preparation, its liquidity, transparency, its 
 adhesiveness to almost any substance, the 
 readiness with which it works at almost or¬ 
 dinary temperature, are so many reasons 
 that entitle it to that preference. It answers 
 equally well for porcelain, bisque, marble, 
 glass and wood ; for this latter, however, it is 
 
1 8 DIFFERENT CEMENTS—PREPARED GLUE. 
 
 preferable to make it somewhat thicker and 
 to use it as warm as possible. 
 
 To prepare it: Get glue of the best qual¬ 
 ity, and as colorless as possible, and an 
 equal quantity of white gelatine; put these 
 in a vase of cold water to swell up for 24 
 hours; then, pouring out the water not ab¬ 
 sorbed, let the remaining glue boil for two 
 hours in a water bath; it will become clear 
 and will acquire the proper consistency. In 
 this condition the glue would have the incon¬ 
 venience of drying too quickly by contact 
 with the air, and its adhesion to smooth sur¬ 
 faces would not last long. To delay the 
 drying of it, a little glycerine is added (one 
 hundredth part); and in order to prevent the 
 glue from getting mouldy, so as to spoil, a 
 little carbolic acid is added, say two drops 
 of acid to the ounce of liquid glue, thoroughly 
 mixed with it before it becomes hardened by 
 
 cooling. . , c 
 
 Acetic acid can be used instead of car¬ 
 bolic acid ; in that case twenty drops of acid 
 to the fluid ounce will answer the purpose. It 
 will be remarked that the action of the acetic 
 acid on the glue renders the latter more 
 soluble. If five ounces of dry glue are dis¬ 
 solved in six ounces of pure acetic acid by 
 stirring well or using gentle heat; and it, 
 the solution being effected, we add to it thiee 
 ounces of glycerine, we shall obtain one of the 
 strongest mixtures that can be manufactured 
 
DIFFERENT CEMENTS-PREPARED GLUE. 1 9 
 
 with glue. It is an article somewhat of that 
 composition that has been so extensively- 
 advertised as “ London Stratena.” 
 
 But practice has shown us the little benefit 
 to be derived from such compounds; not 
 only is it too viscous and not more water¬ 
 proof than any other glue of mere water 
 vehicle, but we have found the strong- acid 
 very objectionable in our special way of 
 dealing with fine work; besides, the large 
 quantity of glycerine contained therein not 
 only counteracts the power of the glue itself, 
 but prevents the whole from drying within 
 a reasonable amount of time. 
 
 A few persons have thought that the mix¬ 
 ture with ordinary glue, of oils, balsams, 
 and rosin even, would render the cement 
 water-proof to some extent. The least appli¬ 
 cation of warm water to the articles joined 
 with those emulsions shows the ridiculous¬ 
 ness of the assumption. The addition of 
 these substances only adds to the thickness 
 and opacity of the cement, at the very great 
 expense of its adhesive qualities. Theory 
 and practice amply demonstrate the inef¬ 
 ficacy of the admixture; it is much more 
 rational to cover the cemented seams with a 
 coat of some substantial varnish. 
 
 VI.— Silicate of Potash. 
 
 Here is another substance which has 
 been sold and represented as possessing 
 
20 
 
 SILICATE OF POTASH. 
 
 water-proof qualities ; indeed, great has been 
 our surprise to see it exclusively recom¬ 
 mended by a certain otherwise noted author 
 of a book on repairs. We have given it a 
 fair trial, but have not found in it any of 
 the special properties warranting such a 
 strong endorsement. . 
 
 On the contrary, we feel very much in¬ 
 clined to discourage its use. It might be 
 said that silicate of potash adheres very 
 strongly and permanently to glass, porcelain, 
 stone-ware, marble, even to metals ; in fact, to 
 any nonporous substance; that it will stand 
 dry heat, even to the red-heat point, and that 
 its adhesiveness on glass is remarkable; but, 
 very unfortunately, when exposed to damp¬ 
 ness, the pieces so joined fall apart most 
 easily, owing to the strong proportion of 
 potash it contains, whose affinity for water 
 is known to all. When laid on a porous 
 substance, it is as readily absorbed by it as 
 mere water, leaving nothing or nearly noth¬ 
 ing at the surface. In order to remedy this 
 last defect, some persons have mixed with it 
 some insoluble powder, such as piaster, 
 baryta, ground glass, whiting, etc. Ihis 
 renders it still more objectionable, as. we 
 have explained already, in the previous 
 chapter, how these coarse powders by then- 
 presence prevent the necessary close union 
 of the pieces. These are the special reasons 
 why we condemn its use: ist. The silicate 
 
SILICATE OF POTASH. 
 
 21 
 
 of potash (or of soda) dries instantly by ex¬ 
 posure to the air, and forms at once a 
 crystalline pellicle that must be broken or 
 bruised to allow the pressing close of the 
 corresponding piece. The quickness with 
 which it must be handled gives at best but 
 a very doubtful result. It cannot be used 
 on large surfaces on account of affording 
 no time for the wetting of the edges with 
 it, for it is absolutely necessary to spread the 
 the silicate on both of them. 2d. Its action 
 on enamel or glass is very corrosive, and if 
 the seams are not scrupulously cleaned at 
 once, which is most unhandy, it will helpless¬ 
 ly corrode the outside surface of the article. 
 Should the first attempt not be successful, 
 it leaves a deposit of silice in the grain that 
 is most difficult to remove sufficiently for a 
 subsequent repairing. 3d. When the silicate 
 is mixed with powder it produces a paste that 
 will harden extremely at the surface, but 
 whose under portions will remain in a soft 
 condition, for need of the necessary air to 
 harden, as would any liquid in a tightly 
 corked bottle. On porous substances it is 
 almost impossible to make any use of the 
 mixture, and, we repeat, it is only on glass 
 or on wares of coarse description that the 
 liquid silicate should be used, with the 
 greatest possible neatness, care and speed¬ 
 iness. A specialty has been made of the 
 mixture, which is found on the market put 
 
22 
 
 GUM ARABIC OR ACACIA. 
 
 up in twin bottles ; in one is the silicate, the 
 other contains the powder—baryta or white 
 marble dust. The best powder to be mixed 
 with it would be ground glass. 
 
 VII.— Gum Arabic or Acacia. 
 
 By no means can a mere solution of gum 
 acacia be made to adhere any length of time 
 and hold together pieces of china or glass; 
 but if not good for cementing, the product 
 is very useful in the repairer’s hands. 
 
 When mixed in proper proportions with 
 some whiting it will make a good paste to 
 fill up the small spaces or holes left between 
 the joined parts of an article ; and, according 
 to the proportion of gum employed, the 
 paste can be made to acquire different 
 degrees of toughness. 
 
 Plaster soaked with its solution will harden 
 considerably and will receive more evenly 
 the paints that are intended to be put on it. 
 It will hold in suspension powdered colors, 
 and is the best recipient for them when ap¬ 
 plied on bisque, clay, wood, satin, etc., not to 
 mention its extensive use for gold-leaf work. 
 A little quantity of it in the water used in 
 mixing plaster will retard the settling and 
 render it more manageable. 
 
 VIII.— Gum Adragant. 
 
 This white substance, somewhat trans- 
 
GUM ADRAGANT. 
 
 23 
 
 parent and which possesses qualities very 
 similar to those of the gum acacia, seems to 
 have escaped the notice of the restorer, and 
 we think we are the first to mention it; it is, 
 nevertheless, susceptible of rendering good 
 service. 
 
 Boiling water hardly acts upon it, but, if 
 exposed in cold water for twelve hours, it 
 absorbs it, and swells up to such an extent 
 that an ounce of the gum will furnish a 
 quart (litre) of very thick mucilage. 
 
 It differs from the gum arabic by not dis¬ 
 solving in water, but merely dividing in it. 
 With it we have composed a mixture, pos¬ 
 sessing very lasting properties, and remark¬ 
 ably good for clay or plaster ornaments; 
 entirely liquid, it affords a perfect joint, and 
 pieces mended with it cannot separate at the 
 same point. It will not peal off as other 
 water cements invariably will, and does 
 away with the process of repairing plaster or 
 clay with plaster, heretofore generally 
 adopted, though most objectionable to elab¬ 
 orate work. 
 
 To prepare it: 1st. Powdered gum adra- 
 gant, 1; glue cement, 20; mix well in a 
 mortar. 2d. Dextrine, 3; water, 20; mix 
 and boil five minutes. 
 
 Put the two in a wide-mouthed vial, and 
 add: Glycerine, carbolic acid, of each five 
 drops: cork well and shake the whole 
 briskly. 
 
24 
 
 GUM SHELLAC. 
 
 IX.— Gum Shellac. 
 
 This gum is found at the druggists in 
 small thin sheets of yellowish-brown tinge, 
 more or less colored and semitransparent. 
 Soluble only in strong alcohol or ether, 
 merely softened by boiling water, it remains 
 unaffected by cold water, and is beyond 
 doubt the best known natural and water¬ 
 proof sticking substance obtainable by the 
 restorer. 
 
 Its adhesiveness on porcelain, bisque, 
 parian marble, clay, marble, metals and glass, 
 is perfect. 
 
 It is applied on the goods in a dry state, 
 melting at the contact of the broken edges 
 of the pieces, which must be heated to a 
 point above that of boiling water. It must be 
 said, however, that owing to the heat to which 
 the pieces ought to be subjected, it becomes 
 quite difficult to make use of it when a great 
 number of pieces are to be joined together; 
 the heat communicated to the surrounding 
 parts softening the whole work, and render¬ 
 ing it entirely unmanageable. 
 
 Its natural color also makes it objection¬ 
 able to undecorated wares, or to those 
 whose tints are light and uniform; but as 
 we indicate a way to conceal the repair- 
 ing by the restoration of the original colors 
 on the article, that objection will yield to the 
 superior advantages it possesses over all 
 other cements, whenever strength and lasting 
 
GUM SHELLAC. 25 
 
 qualities are specially in view. As it would 
 be unhandy to make use of the shellac as 
 found in the trade, it is preferable to shape 
 it into sticks; this is done by melting it in a 
 pot or tin can exposed to the water-bath, 
 stirring well until in one mass ; then, pouring 
 the gum into lukewarm water, it can be easily 
 worked, pulling and rolling it into sticks of 
 the desired size. 
 
 When employed for marble or deeply 
 colored glass, a very small quantity of color¬ 
 ing powder will give it the approximate 
 color of the article to be joined. 
 
 Some practitioners mix with the shellac 
 some sulphur ; it would certainly be difficult 
 to explain the advantage derived from such 
 an addition. Sulphur, being softer, and 
 more brittle than the gum, cannot add any 
 valuable property, for it does not dissolve but 
 merely divides in it; when strongly heated 
 the mixture separates and allows the melted 
 parts of sulphur to float about as would drops 
 of grease on gravy. The sulphur is not 
 beneficial, but is certainly injurious; for with 
 it the shellac is most easily burned and 
 utterly spoiled by the least contact with the 
 flame of the heating apparatus. Sulphur 
 should not be thought of for clean work on 
 white or slightly colored wares; but the 
 habit of following examples set or doing as 
 told to do, without further inquiring, is in 
 man s nature, so it is not strange to have to 
 
26 
 
 GUM SHELLAC. 
 
 expose the many oddities connected with a 
 most complicated branch of work. 
 
 It will be well to remember that the 
 white shellac of the trade is none other than 
 the ordinary brown shellac boiled in some 
 alkaline water until quite bleached; but, as 
 it cannot be caused to melt without recov¬ 
 ering its original color, it is much more ra¬ 
 tional to use the plain article. To soften 
 the shellac it will suffice to mix with it, 
 while hot, from one-twentieth to a tenth of 
 Canada or turpentine balsam. Sometimes, 
 prepared sticks are sold under the above 
 name, which are only a mixture of gum 
 mastic, and turpentine balsam (one-tenth), to 
 give the former some consistency. We have 
 found that mixture entirely too soft, and can¬ 
 not recommend it for ceramics; another 
 objection is, that the spirits of turpentine of 
 the paint finally employed, will dissolve or 
 will soften it considerably more. 
 
 If uniting pieces presenting large surfaces, 
 or fastening upon the ornaments some metal 
 mountings, the softened gum, melting more 
 readily, is much preferable, the article there¬ 
 by not being exposed to any unnecessary 
 risk. All wares are not to be indifferently 
 subjected to the same treatment, especially 
 in the dry condition, which allow'S the reach¬ 
 ing of the red heat point; due consideration 
 is to be paid to their conductibility. 
 
 The plaster will not stand the necessary 
 
GUM SHELLAC. 
 
 27 
 
 heat required for shellac melting, while the 
 baked clay stands it but a very short time ; 
 marble, china, or bisque might support it well 
 enough in a thick part, but will invariably 
 peal off or crack open, if a strong blaze is 
 directed to a thin portion of the same article. 
 But of all the materials the restorer becomes 
 acquainted with, none is more difficult to 
 handle than glass; experienced hands, even, 
 not being always successful at a second ap¬ 
 plication of heat to that substance. 
 
 Whenever heat is to be applied to a piece 
 of pottery, we advise to communicate to the 
 surrounding parts a little of the heat which 
 is to be concentrated on a given point. 
 Particularly for glass, extra care is to be 
 taken. The article should be kept over the 
 lamp in constant motion, giving, however, 
 the part to be cemented a little more time to 
 be heated sufficiently, but making the whole 
 partake of the heat applied. 
 
 Of course, we do not recommend such 
 cementing for fine pieces, kept as mere speci¬ 
 mens, or for keepsakes; for those, glue is 
 certainly the best. But, with judicious care, 
 quite a number of costly glass ornaments can 
 be permanently fixed up, and many other 
 valuable pieces for the table can be restored 
 for daily use. Gradual exposure to the heat 
 of an ordinary oven is all that is required for 
 large pieces of heavy glass. Though any 
 smokeless flame is good for shellac melting, 
 
GUM SHELLAC. 
 
 we use by preference an alcohol lamp, pro¬ 
 vided with a long tube for the wick, and 
 fixed so as to reduce the flame when opera¬ 
 ting on minute pieces; for extensive work, 
 pyrolignic acid or wood alcohol is preferable, 
 costing but one-third as much as the recti¬ 
 fied liquid. To cement, we begin with the 
 broken-off pieces. We take one of them, 
 holding it by one end of the broken edge 
 above the flame, in a vertical position, so as 
 to preserve the corner we hold by and also 
 not to get the piece unnecessarily hot all 
 over, which would delay the work consider¬ 
 ably and scorch the fingers. Avoid red 
 heat. The edge is sufficiently hot when the 
 mere contact of the stick with it causes the 
 gum to melt gently, without bubbling. 
 
 Having started with one end, we coat 
 carefully and moderately with the shellac, 
 proceeding by small portions in order to 
 have the edges well covered. Lay that 
 piece aside and attend to the others, taking 
 several of them. When too small to be held 
 by the fingers, a pair of tweezers is necessary. 
 If when working on earthen-ware or clay, we 
 notice that the shellac boils, runs, and does 
 not adhere, it is an indication that the piece 
 is greasy or has been improperly dried. 
 This must be remedied at once. 
 
 Taking (one in each hand) two correspond¬ 
 ing loose pieces, we pass their edges over 
 the lamp, lengthwise, at the same time, 
 
GUM SHELLAC. 
 
 2 9 
 
 allowing an upward direction to the flame ; 
 and, as soon as the cement is remelted, we 
 press them gently and evenly together, keep¬ 
 ing the seam hot until a perfect joint is ef¬ 
 fected. We hold tight for one minute, or 
 more if the pieces are very thick, to give the 
 cement time to harden a little by cooling off; 
 ■and, before it hardens too much, we scrape 
 off with a sharp knife the superfluous cement, 
 so as to examine the condition of the joint. 
 
 To these we add the others (if any), and 
 manage the work so as to obtain but a contin¬ 
 uous line when ready to join them to the 
 main part of the article. The particles of 
 gum remaining on the surface are removed 
 by the aid of the knife, the sand-paper, and 
 finally by the use of a clean rag just moist 
 with alcohol. This cement requires no dry¬ 
 ing and, notwithstanding the long explana¬ 
 tion we have indulged in, takes very little 
 time and intelligence to produce a most sub¬ 
 stantial job. 
 
 The pure gum shellac is especially pre¬ 
 cious when dealing with pieces of small size, 
 which, by their form and size, are more 
 liable to meet with accidents ; such as han¬ 
 dles of vases or cups, raised ornaments, 
 knobs of covers, feet of vases, etc., having 
 but a little surface to be attached to. 
 
 It is the only substance likely to hold at 
 the edge of chipped off articles, such as 
 plaques, rims of vases, or sharp-angled orna- 
 
GUM SHELLAC. 
 
 3 ° 
 
 ments. With it we can supply those minute 
 pieces lost at the time of the accident, and 
 that a careless broom has conveyed to the 
 dust-pan; among which are small flow r ers, 
 stems, leaves, little fingers, etc. It will fill 
 up little holes in a defective cup, vase, or 
 pitcher that leaks, and make stronger than 
 before a new and costly ornament, badly 
 cracked or split open in some of its parts 
 during the baking process, and that we 
 would not have been able to purchase but 
 for the large discount made on its price; 
 such imperfect pieces being termed in the 
 trade as “ seconds ” or “ thirds.” 
 
 To fill up cracks and strengthen bent-open 
 parts, it is only necessary to heat properly 
 the place, and by rubbing steadily over the 
 crack with a very thin stick of shellac, cause 
 some of it to melt, penetrate, and fill up the 
 open space. While still warm, cut level the 
 cement, then smooth down with fine sand¬ 
 paper, and clean with alcohol. This is the 
 way to restore very unsound wares. 
 
 X.—Liquid Gum Shellac. 
 
 It sometimes happens that we have to 
 repair very large pieces of terra-cotta, stone¬ 
 ware, clay work, marble statuary, or earthen¬ 
 ware, which, on account of their size and 
 thickness, cannot be fastened by the melt¬ 
 ing process. In that case we have re¬ 
 course to a thick solution of the gum 
 
LIQUID GUM SHELLAC. 
 
 31 
 
 in strong alcohol (gum 1, alcohol 3), to 
 which a little ether, about one-tenth, is added 
 to produce the evaporation. Should we 
 have on hand some ordinary shellac varnish, 
 we allow some to partially evaporate in a 
 saucer, stirring occasionally; and the mere 
 addition of ether or chloroform is then re¬ 
 quired. This cement is to be kept in a glass- 
 stoppered vial, and the work must be 
 promptly executed. 
 
 By the way, we might mention that such 
 coarse work is also successfully performed 
 by coating both edges of the pieces with 
 litharged linseed oil, commonly called dryer; 
 when partially dried, another coating is given, 
 and the pieces are to be tightly held to¬ 
 gether, making use of a weight, rope, or 
 sometimes a little wedge at a certain point 
 under the rope, for round pieces especially. 
 Pieces mended by either of these two pro¬ 
 cesses can stand out-door exposure. 
 
 XI.— Chinese Cement. 
 
 The name of this cement is familiar enough 
 to the ear of any of our readers, and its 
 qualification forcibly conveys the idea of 
 something unusually strange about its com¬ 
 position and virtues. Quite anxious to know 
 about it, we have inquired and have been 
 told of as many different receipts for it as 
 we have met with receipt-tellers. We have 
 come to the conclusion that either the genuine 
 
32 
 
 CHINESE CEMENT. 
 
 receipt has not been made public, or that the 
 Chinese cement is not preferable to the pre¬ 
 pared glue. Of course, we are generally op¬ 
 posed to any containing solid matters ; and 
 the receipts given us, and the several special¬ 
 ties labelled with such a name, can be included 
 in this plain formula: some white of egg, 
 dried or fresh, mixed into a paste with lime, 
 egg-shell, or finely powdered glass. By 
 mixing any fine insoluble powder with the 
 mucilage produced from gum adragant, we 
 have obtained a paste that compares favor¬ 
 ably with any examined by us. 
 
 XII.— Putty Mending. 
 
 We shall not despise the old and venerable 
 putty, that has rendered our ancestors so 
 many signal services, because it is an affair 
 of the past. On the contrary, we shall 
 humbly admit that for articles subjected to 
 rough and daily use, as kitchen, table, or 
 toilet-wares are, no more reliable cement has 
 been found, or is likely to be found ; for the 
 longer it is exposed to changes from hot water 
 to cold, and vice versa, the more it hardens, 
 the better it resists, and with the assistance 
 of clasps or rivets, intelligently set in, an 
 article can be used with as much impunity 
 as if never broken before. The oily com¬ 
 pound cannot be improved, and the fineness 
 of the powder that forms its bulk is the only 
 thing to be observed. It must be said, for 
 
PUTTY MENDING. 
 
 33 
 
 the sake of parties desirous to make use of 
 it, that the putty must be expressly made for 
 mending; it must contain nothing else but 
 boiled linseed oil and white lead in powder, 
 though a little of ground litharge will help 
 the hardening much. Very unfortunately, it 
 must be made quite thick to be good, and 
 when applied on porous bodies, the oil, 
 separating from the powder, leaves all around 
 an indelible soiling; and of the former 
 putty there remains only a useless, crumbling 
 amalgam. We need not speak about the 
 time it takes to harden nor the most unsightly 
 appearance it gives the pieces so treated. 
 
 XIII. —Fish Glue. 
 
 In many instances we have seen described 
 the process for dissolving this substance, 
 which also bears the name of Ichthyocolla, 
 or Isinglass. It is said that it dissolves in 
 water, and is to be treated as ordinary glue; 
 but this work, not being a mere compilation 
 of receipts picked up here and there, but the 
 production of our painstaking knowledge, 
 we did not want to save our time (called 
 money by some) and through carelessness 
 cause others to lose theirs, and to censure us 
 for their deception. Being aware that there 
 exist two different sorts of this glue, the 
 Russian kind, white, translucent, and in 
 thick sheets of about the size of the hand, 
 and the other, of American manufacture, 
 
34 
 
 FISH GLUE. 
 
 cheaper and more generally known, present¬ 
 ing a dirty-looking yellow substance thinned 
 out in sheets, resembling ruffled straw paper 
 —we have provided ourselves with the second 
 kind, the one more readily found at home. 
 We have soaked some in water for 24 hours, 
 then have boiled it for two hours, stirring all 
 the time, and to the best of our knowledge, 
 but have been able to dissolve but a very 
 trifling portion of it, the glue being merely 
 divided in the liquid. The way to prepare 
 it is to keep it for 24 hours in a water-bath, 
 stirring occasionally; the glue will dissolve 
 more readily in warm water if it has been pre¬ 
 viously soaked with alcohol, but is too dark 
 in color unless prepared with the Russian spe¬ 
 cies, which is quite expensive; and not offer¬ 
 ing any advantage, we cannot patronize its use. 
 Several cements have been compounded, of 
 which isinglass is the chief agent and ingre¬ 
 dient, which are known as Universal Cement, 
 Diamond Cement, etc., but as alcohol, gum 
 mastic, salt of ammonia, and other ingredients 
 enter into their composition, we are at a loss 
 to imagine where the strength of such mix¬ 
 tures can be. They are most unhandy to 
 work with, and do not keep well. The 
 amount of repairing we do over every day 
 tells us how well they work, and how good 
 cements generally are. This is said to warn 
 our readers against the danger of taking 
 for granted facts and receipts occasionally 
 
FISH GLUE. 
 
 35 
 
 published in so-called scientific papers, 
 often accompanied by bold and groundless 
 assertions. 
 
 XIV.-— Ivory, Shell, Vulcanite, etc. 
 
 Most of the glue compounds will work 
 very poorly on these substances, owing to 
 the greasy nature of the ivory or bone and 
 the peculiar composition of shell or artifi¬ 
 cial product. The surfaces must be well 
 cleansed and touched up with some alkaline 
 water; spirits of ammonia (hartshorn) is pref¬ 
 erable. The prepared glue or arabic mucil¬ 
 age must be well divided in some fine pow¬ 
 der, for the watery liquid is but partially 
 absorbed. We have found that a paste 
 made of carbonate of ammonia and weak 
 glue will answer as well as anything else. 
 In case some elaborate pieces cannot be 
 managed so as to offer a proper fitting, a melt¬ 
 ing paste should be used possessing sufficient 
 lasting and adhesive qualities. We think that 
 one made with rosin three parts, plaster, 
 whiting or coloring matter one part, will be 
 found to answer well. 
 
 XV.—Some Odd Compounds. 
 
 The following are several receipts of odd 
 kinds of cements or mastics which differ 
 entirely from those usually published. They 
 have been extensively tried and pronounced 
 good ; but, on account of their composition 
 
36 SOME ODD COMPOUNDS. 
 
 they will apply only to a very limited num¬ 
 ber of cases, especially of work of the 
 coarsest description: 
 
 1. Curdled milk, white of eggs, equal 
 parts. Beat the eggs in the milk and add a 
 sufficient quantity of quick lime to form a 
 paste. Will stand water and heat. 
 
 2. Sulphur 3, powdered graphite 2; to be 
 prepared by fusion, 
 
 3. Fine iron filings 4, garlic 2, acetic acid 
 1 ; bruise in an iron mortar, the well-decorti¬ 
 cated garlic with the iron; when reduced to 
 paste add the acetic acid and make use of it 
 at once. It is unsurpassed for plugging iron 
 into stone. 
 
 4. Fresh sheep’s blood 2, quick lime 2, 
 melted tallow I ; slack the lime into the 
 blood ; when in paste, stir in well the tallow 
 previously melted. To join heavy stones. 
 
 5. Pulverized baked bricks, quick lime, 
 wood ashes, equal parts, well mixed, and 
 formed into paste with olive oil; it hardens 
 promptly and does not break under water. 
 
 6. For small repairs on articles made of 
 hard wood or marble, use a mixture of rosin 
 2, common wax I, colored to the shade of 
 the wood or marble. Often preferable to glue. 
 
 7. Cement for very large pieces of porcelain 
 or stone-ware: dry white river sand 20, 
 pulverized litharge I, quick lime I, boiled 
 linseed oil, sufficient quantity for a handy 
 paste. 
 
FILLING UP SMALL OPENINGS. 
 
 37 
 
 XVI.— Filling up Small Openings. 
 
 It is very seldom that a piece breaks so 
 neatly that the cementing alone is enough 
 to restore it to its former appearance; the 
 small openings left must be filled up very 
 carefully, for the painting finish of the work 
 would suffer very much if this was not at¬ 
 tended to very nicely. The paste is made 
 of whiting and nitrate of baryta in equal 
 parts, and a weak solution of gum arabic, 
 though glue or desk mucilage will answer 
 very well. Half an ounce of gum will suf¬ 
 fice for a large tumblerful of water; the 
 mixture is prepared on a slab and thoroughly 
 mixed by means of a wide knife’s blade or 
 palette knife. A little experience will tell 
 better than exact weights the proper propor ¬ 
 tions of the two substances employed. The 
 paste should be of the consistency of very 
 thick putty, and when worked with the 
 spatula it should not pull or be too glossy 
 in appearance. If made too thick, it will not 
 fill up well and dry too quickly ; if too liquid 
 it will contract and will crumble. When the 
 mucilage or glue is too strong the paste 
 will harden so much that it will resist the 
 cutting, and will polish under the sand-paper. 
 The paste dried up on the slab loses none of 
 its properties, a few drops of water rendering 
 it fit for use at any time. We recommend 
 to have the seams well freed from glue or 
 
38 FILLING UP SMALL OPENINGS. 
 
 cement lumps, for these would swell at the 
 contact of the damp paste and consequently 
 throw the latter off. If the filling up is to 
 be done on soft material, a little soaking of 
 the clay with diluted gum arabic, glue, or 
 gelatine, or better, colorless spirit varnish, is 
 very useful, not to say necessary. 
 
 The paste having been pressed into the 
 seams with a curved blade or very small 
 trowel, is left rising a little above the surface. 
 After a twelve hours’ drying fine sand-paper 
 is employed to grind off the paste to a level. 
 Then paper of the finest grain (No. oo) is 
 carefully passed over, so as to obtain a per¬ 
 fectly smooth surface. Feeling with the 
 finger across the seam should detect no raise 
 or cavity, if the work is well done. 
 
 We have found it preferable to prepare 
 our own whiting. Dividing the lumps in 
 plenty of water and stirring well, we skim off 
 the floating dirt, and allowing half a minute 
 for the sand or heavy substance to settle at 
 the bottom, we pour the liquid into another 
 jar, where the water deposits the fine, clean 
 and uniform powder. 
 
 On such semi-transparent wares as alabas¬ 
 ter, marble, colored glass and ivory, it is 
 sometimes preferable to make use of wax, 
 plain or hardened with rosin (one-fourth), 
 and, if necessary, colored with powdered 
 colors, so as to match the tint of the object. 
 A similar mixture can even be made use of 
 
FILLING UP SMALL OPENINGS. 39 
 
 for pieces of thin china, or Parian marble, 
 preferably to anything else; but we think 
 that the general adoption of this process 
 ought to be condemned, for there is a very 
 limited number of cases where it is suscep¬ 
 tible of giving satisfaction. Practically, the 
 exact coloring of the wax, and its application 
 and handling, are matters of the greatest 
 difficulty. Besides the fact that it is entirely 
 too soft, for the least heat or pressure of the 
 fingers will deform the work so executed, 
 wax cannot either stand painting over or 
 varnishing of any kind. 
 
 If the article intended to be repaired has 
 previously been subjected to wax treatment, 
 it should be very carefully cleaned, for the 
 wax, most readily conveyed to the broken 
 edges, would interfere with the work of the 
 glue or cement. 
 
 XVII.— Supplying Larger Pieces. 
 
 Plaster is the most handy substance to 
 make large pieces with. It will harden uni- 
 formily in a very short time, is easily cut or 
 carved, and will keep in its shape. It fills 
 very perfectly all the minutest parts wherever 
 applied, adheres to almost any kind of ma¬ 
 terial, and receives equally well colors mixed 
 in either water, oil, or varnish. A distinc¬ 
 tion should be made between the two sorts 
 of pieces to be provided for. When the 
 space is entirely surrounded by the firm por- 
 
4 ° 
 
 SUPPLYING LARGER PIECES. 
 
 tions of the article, it is a mere filling up; 
 when, on the contrary, the pieces to be made, 
 by their shape or exposure, are more liable 
 to be handled or broken off; as for instance, 
 the edge of a plaque, the knob of a cover, 
 the foot of a vase; these should be strength¬ 
 ened by one or several pieces of wire. The 
 extremities of these wire pieces are inserted 
 into the thickness of the substance of the 
 article by means of little holes, drilled by the 
 processes described hereafter (see Chapter 
 XVIII.), or are simply bent so as to follow 
 the edges of the broken parts, and sealed 
 fast with shellac, (see Cut No. i.) When 
 the thickness or friability allows it, the wire 
 is set in small incisions or grooves, or is 
 dispensed with entirely. 
 
 Therefore, if we have to provide for an 
 exposed piece, we prepare a frame by taking 
 a piece of soft iron wire, being in size but 
 one-third of the thickness of the surrounding- 
 edges, and, having flattened it moderately, 
 we bend it into the shape the piece is to be 
 made, taking care to have it so that the 
 plaster will hide it entirely. When the piece 
 is to occupy the outer edge of an article, the 
 wire should be placed as close to the rim as 
 possible, and if of very large dimensions, 
 several wires are required. When drilled 
 holes are necessary, the thickness of the 
 article will indicate their depth, and hence 
 the extra length to be given to the wire; for 
 
SUPPLYING LARGER PIECES. 
 
 41 
 
 china or earthen-ware, from one-sixteenth to 
 the eighth of an inch is all that is necessary. 
 Giving a sharp bend at the middle of the 
 shaped wire and straightening it out again, 
 we insert it into the prepared holes and seal 
 it in them with shellac or a little filling 
 paste, or by pressing in little bits of metal. 
 For handles, spouts, or knobs, the holes 
 should be deeper, sometimes drilled through, 
 and the wire stronger. (See Figs. 1 to 7, p. 45.) 
 
 The frame being affixed, and, if necessary, 
 the clay being soaked as directed in the pre¬ 
 ceding chapter, we take a piece of modelling 
 wax, worked and softened by the fingers, and 
 reduce it to a thin sheet and form with it a 
 kind of partition that will serve to receive 
 and hold the plaster. Careful operators 
 employ only a piece of pasteboard or Bristol 
 card covered with a thin piece of paper, leav¬ 
 ing only the paper attached to the plaster as 
 soon as it settles, for the dampness would 
 cause the card to bend inwardly. A quan¬ 
 tity of plaster being gently mixed with water, 
 so as to form a thin paste, and containing as 
 few bubbles as possible, is then spread evenly 
 over the wax partition or card, making the 
 coating rather thick; for, if too thin, the 
 piece should be made over entirely, the plas¬ 
 ter seldom working well in superimposed 
 layers. 
 
 The plaster, according to its quality, the 
 weather, and the size of the piece made, will 
 
42 
 
 SUPPLYING LARGER PIECES. 
 
 require from five to twenty minutes to 
 harden sufficiently. Then, taking a moulder’s 
 rip, or wood rasp, we chip off the unneces¬ 
 sary parts at once, avoiding at the same time 
 the soaking of the surrounding cemented 
 portions and the pressure the swelling of the 
 plaster would make on its immediate sur¬ 
 roundings. After having been set aside for 
 24 hours to dry, we resume the finishing 
 work of the piece, using, according to its 
 form, fine cutting blades, spoon beads, slick¬ 
 ers, rifflers, or small curved files. Sand¬ 
 paper of the finest grade (No. 00) is used to 
 smooth up the surfaces. 
 
 What has been mentioned in the chapter 
 on “ Gum Shellac ” should be remembered 
 in time, in respect to the preference to be 
 given to that substance for very small and 
 more endangered parts that are to be pro¬ 
 vided for. To accomplish it, a small quantity 
 of gum is softened above the lamp, and is given 
 an approximate shape of the piece; then, 
 heating the spot sufficiently, it is stuck on, 
 cut with a sharp blade, and polished off with 
 proper sand-paper. 
 
 Should any piece be wanting on a trans¬ 
 parent or undecorated ornament, it is pref¬ 
 erable to varnish the wire, or to use some 
 made of brass or copper, owing to the oxi¬ 
 dizing action of plaster on the iron; some¬ 
 times mere little pegs of lead, bone, or hard 
 wood are deemed sufficient. 
 
SUPPLYING LARGER PIECES. 
 
 43 
 
 Being carefully dusted off, the plaster 
 piece is coated with boiled linseed oil and 
 allowed to dry during at least 24 hours; 
 then the little cavities and defects noticed in 
 the plaster, caused by either the air bubbles 
 or bruised parts at the thinner edges, are 
 remedied by means of the whiting filler; 
 these little white spots also, when dried, are 
 touched up with oil, and the piece, thorough¬ 
 ly dried, is submitted to a last touch with 
 sand-paper. All is in ready condition now 
 to receive the painting and decoration. 
 
 The portions added on ornaments of plas¬ 
 ter, clay, terra-cotta, or alabaster, are not to 
 be oiled, but merely soaked with a solution 
 of borax, alum, gum acacia, glue, or gela¬ 
 tine, when these articles are to be shaded 
 with water colors, unless the articles are 
 intended to be or were originally covered 
 with paints of oil or varnish composition. 
 
 XVIII.— Drilling and Riveting. 
 
 It is surprising to note the ignorance of 
 the average “ Works-of-Art Restorer ” about 
 the best practical ways to proceed in this 
 very important operation. It seems to be no 
 matter of his to know how to execute that 
 work himself, or on his own responsibility; 
 and the direct investigations to which we 
 have devoted ourselves confirm us in thebelief 
 that, in general, he does not know how to do 
 
44 DRILLING AND RIVETING. 
 
 it properly. It might be said that drilling 
 on china or glass is somewhat difficult, very 
 tiresome, not exempt from risks, and that if 
 improperly equipped to do it, it is preferable 
 to give it to responsible parties furnished with 
 all the necessary implements. This appears 
 to be a conclusive admonition, and the city 
 repairer, fortunate enough to have a lapidist 
 or glass-cutter within tolerable distance from 
 his place of business, can sometimes get it 
 done cheaper than he himself could do it. 
 That we admit willingly; but no one is a 
 genuine tradesman who does not know every¬ 
 thing appertaining to his calling, and who is 
 dependent upon certain processes practised 
 by his neighbors, unknown to himself. 
 
 The time has gone by when the trade 
 secrets benefit men, and we owe it to our 
 attentive readers to give them an unrestricted 
 description of a trade we have pledged our¬ 
 selves to familiarize them with. Anyone 
 who has visited the wonderful city of Paris 
 could not help noticing the china mender, 
 for he is one of the typical features that en¬ 
 liven that ever interesting capital. With a 
 square box strapped on his back, brightly 
 painted and ornamented, with its row of 
 shiny tin fountain cocks (for he adds to the 
 above calling the specialty of resetting spig- 
 gots), he walks about the streets, enters each 
 house-yard, and causes the air to resound 
 with his guttural and most compound yell, 
 
BRIC-A-BRAC DOCTOR. 
 
 45 
 
 Fig. x. Vase, showing the lost part. 
 
 Fig. 2. Wire frame fastened on the edges. 
 
 Fig. 3. Wire frame inserted in drilled holes. 
 
 Fig. 4. Flatter, showing the lost part. 
 
 Fig. 5. Single frame for the whole piece. 
 
 Fig. 6. Cover to be fastened with inside pin. 
 big. 7. Cut showing the prepared holes. 
 
 Figs. 8, 9. Position of the rivets. 
 
 Figs. 10, IX, 12. Making the drill; its different stages. 
 
46 
 
 BRIC-A-BRAC DOCTOR. 
 
 This cut shows the safest wire appliances for holding 
 china, either in the cabinet or against the wall. 
 
 Fig. I. Combination plate rack, made for any number. 
 Figs. 2 , 4 . Cups and saucers mounted on easels. 
 
 Fms. 3, 5. The easels alone. 
 
 Fig. 6 . Plate mounted with hanger. 
 
 Fig- 7 - Regulating top-hook for the hanger. 
 
DRILLING AND RIVETING. 
 
 47 
 
 and one must be thankful if he does not 
 accompany it with the more piercing noise 
 produced by his small metal pipe. Such is 
 the popular china mender. At the first 
 chance of a job, he accepts it. Seated on his 
 box in an alley-way, at a corner, in a yard, 
 or sometimes on the street, one may see him 
 handling the broken portions of a dish or 
 the lid of a pitcher. He is a strong driller 
 on hard material; be it earthen-ware, porce¬ 
 lain, or stone-ware, he attacks it with a mere 
 bit of steel, short-handled, picked up some¬ 
 where from a discarded umbrella. Having 
 ground his tool, so as to give it a three- 
 cornered end, on the piece of sandstone he 
 keeps by him, he dips it into a small pot 
 containing a lump of camphor soaking in 
 turpentine, and having marked the position 
 of the rivet or clasp, just across the broken 
 seam, he starts the boring of one hole. Us¬ 
 ing the full strength of his wrist, he whirls the 
 tool right and left, steadily and quickly, giving 
 quite frequently his tool a sharpening touch 
 on the stone. We easily imagine the follow¬ 
 ing operations. We have described his putty; 
 the clasps or rivets are bits of wire doubled 
 up and cut according to the depth and the 
 distance ‘wee n the holes, sharply bent at 
 right an b Us at each end so as to pull together 
 tight the parts to be joined. (Figs. 8,9, p.45.) 
 
 When on large and heavy ornamental 
 pieces, it is of absolute necessity to have 
 
48 DRILLING AND RIVETING. 
 
 recourse to riveting, as much as possible we 
 insert the rivets. This is done by cutting a 
 groove in the thick part of the material it¬ 
 self. The size of the rivet and the thickness 
 of the wire indicate how deep and how long 
 the cut is to be made. The groove being 
 made amply wide enough, we drill the holes, 
 place the clasps and fill up level, hiding by 
 the painting as usual. 
 
 Of course there is a neater and safer way 
 to drill pottery articles than that practised by 
 our inferior fellow-craftsman, for the smallest 
 of his tools would not match well with the 
 minute pieces of china, in which we can bore 
 holes with comparative ease and security, 
 which process we are going to explain 
 presently. 
 
 In general, one substance can scratch, 
 bore, or cut another only when the latter is 
 softer or has less cohesiveness in its parti¬ 
 cles, or when it is temporarily made softer 
 by soaking, heating, etc. For instance, 
 when drilling we should have the wood well 
 dried ; the bone, the alabaster, the marble 
 wet with water; the brass or the lead covered 
 with oil, and the iron aided with alkaline 
 water. All and each of these can be worked 
 easily with ordinary steel tools, for steel has 
 more resisting power than any of these 
 bodies. But in dealing with ceramic pro¬ 
 ductions, which are mere agglomerations of 
 extremely hard and insoluble substances or 
 
DRILLING AND RIVETING. 
 
 49 
 
 clays maintained in shape by the admixture 
 of other melted, or partially melted sub¬ 
 stances, the liquid employed only acts as an 
 expelling agent of the bruised parts or dust 
 produced by the tool crushing or dislodging 
 the grain of the substance. According to 
 the proportion of fusible bodies entering the 
 paste, and also of the tenuity of grain or 
 chemical properties of the clay, are obtained 
 more or less friable substances; viz., clay, 
 terra-cotta, earthen-ware, pate-tendre, porce¬ 
 lain, stone-ware ; glass or enamel, compounds 
 entirely fusible, belonging to a different class 
 of manufacture. 
 
 As a consequence of the above knowledge 
 it follows that substances of the first kind are 
 to be drilled with tools possessing sharp, 
 incisive edges, while those belonging to the 
 second require some endowed with all pos¬ 
 sible toughness, which execute their work 
 more by pounding than cutting. 
 
 XIX.—A Powerful and Delicate Tool. 
 
 Therefore for the second class of bodies, 
 throwing aside any steel instrument, we look 
 for the hardest obtainable body, and its name 
 comes to our lips—we call it the diamond. 
 The newspapers have published extensive 
 accounts of very formidable railroad enter¬ 
 prises. Everyone has heard of the compact 
 beds of rocks, granite, etc., unyielding foes 
 of the pick and maul of the miner, met with 
 4 
 
gQ A POWERFUL AND DELICATE TOOL. 
 
 under mountains to be tunnelled by the en¬ 
 gineers. Such obstacles have vanished be¬ 
 fore the diamond and the dynamite. Small 
 lumps of the precious stone set in the end of 
 steel rods, acted upon by steam machinery, 
 have drilled the holes and the explosive has 
 accomplished its work. The difference be¬ 
 tween the work of drilling a mountain of 
 rock or of the boring of wells, and that of 
 drilling a thin piece of porcelain, is very 
 little, the amount of time required and the 
 size of the tool excepted; the main diffi¬ 
 culty in the work is the same. 
 
 Our steam power will be a light and 
 steady hand; our engine will be any drill 
 holder, substantial but light, having a chuck 
 
 This very cheap and most handy tool, provided with a chuch, is 
 manufactured by the Miller’s Falls Manufacturing Company. 
 
 with a far-reaching shaft. Though a skil¬ 
 ful artisan can perform good work with 
 any sort of tool, we prefer those having cog¬ 
 wheels to others requiring a bow or revolving 
 by a spring, the steadiness of the hand and 
 body being of absolute necessity when oper¬ 
 ating on brittle substances with narrow sur- 
 
A POWERFUL AND DELICATE TOOL. 5 I 
 
 faces. Appliances acting by concussion are 
 also very objectionable. 
 
 Ready-made diamond drills can be bought 
 from any dealer in jewelers’ tools, glaziers’ 
 diamond manufacturers, or sometimes from 
 a lapidist; but as these delicate and costly 
 tools get easily out of order, it is preferable 
 to know how to prepare them one’s self. 
 
 To make a drill, we take a straight piece 
 of iron wire, two or three inches long, hav¬ 
 ing a diameter somewhat larger than that of 
 the hole wanted. Having obtained at the 
 lapidist’s chips of diamond of different sizes, 
 pieces unfit for the wheel, whose cost is a 
 mere trifle compared to that of the perfectly 
 cut gem, we choose one of them, oblong, 
 flat, presenting if possible two parallel sur¬ 
 faces, and being in length about the diameter 
 of the hole desired. One end of the wire, 
 held in a vise, is filed down flat; then, tak¬ 
 ing a metal saw, or better, a small knife file, 
 we cut in its diameter a groove, wide and 
 deep enough to admit the stone selected, 
 lengthwise and with a pretty tight fit. We 
 place the stone in the groove and force it in 
 hard, interposing a piece of lead, copper, or 
 hard wood, if we use the hammer. Taking 
 the drill from the vise, with a pair of plyers 
 we turn down on the stone the iron rising 
 around it, and the tool is ready for the pre¬ 
 paratory trial. Drills can also be made with 
 several stones, provided they form a raise at 
 
52 A POWERFUL AND DELICATE TOOL. 
 
 the centre of the tool. The drill is then 
 affixed to the revolving motor, and having 
 laid plumb on a table a piece of broken 
 earthen-ware, terra-cotta, or sandstone, we 
 try the drill on part of it, soaking freely with 
 water. This operation, carefully managed, 
 has only for its object the tearing off of the 
 iron cap, to clear the salient angles of the 
 stone, which alone play an active part in 
 the perforation of the substance. As soon 
 as this is effected, the little rings or burr that 
 the wearing of the iron will leave below the 
 stone are removed with a smooth file, taking 
 care not to rub or dislodge the stone, pro¬ 
 ceeding with the filing down of the iron, from 
 one-half inch up, according to the depth of 
 the hole wanted. We hardly need to add that 
 these delicate tools are to be well cared for, 
 one not being always successful in the mak¬ 
 ing of them. 
 
 A good precaution will be to have the 
 drill passed through a small cork, or, by 
 means of a little brass collar, fastenable on 
 it with a screw, having the working part of 
 the drill graduated so that, boring through 
 thin pieces, the unfiled portion cannot force 
 its way through and break the article. 
 
 If it were not for the explanations we have 
 already given about the two different classes 
 of materials that necessitate a special mode 
 of drilling, it would seem, strange that a tool 
 not centred, that is, not having a determined 
 
A POWERFUL AND DELICATE TOOL. 53 
 
 axle, and having no cutting edges either, 
 could effect such remarkable results; but 
 this is readily explained by the very absence 
 of symmetry in its pointed portion. It effects 
 a mere grinding of the substance; an action 
 maintained to a limited space by the round 
 frame of the tool itself. The more salient 
 angles of the stone, freed by the particle it has 
 just dislodged, by the pressure and the re¬ 
 volving motion of the tool, strike against 
 another particle, which in its turn gives way, 
 causing a succession of concussions unappre- 
 ciable to the hand of the operator; the less 
 salient asperities of the drill reduce these 
 loose particles to powder, and the water—the 
 best liquid to be employed—carries it out to 
 the surface. 
 
 XX.— Colors, Varnishes and Brushes. 
 
 About fifteen different colors have proven 
 sufficient to us to manage every case where 
 painting is required. These are mostly 
 mineral pigments, the same as ground in 
 oil; but we buy them in their powder state, 
 for those already mixed would not be proper 
 on china, the oil darkening considerably in 
 time. China colors cannot be made use of, 
 owing to the necessary fusible salts added to 
 them, under the name of fluxes; and aniline 
 colors, on account of their fugacious nature, 
 are not to be depended upon either. We 
 insist especially on the fine quality of the 
 
54 COLORS, VARNISHES AND BRUSHES. 
 
 colors we buy; giving the preference to 
 those possessing the richest hues; for earthy 
 substances, grinding the steel of the palette 
 knife, would be blackened when mixing on 
 the sanded glass slab. It is only when large 
 surfaces are to be painted that we mix them 
 with the muller. 
 
 These colors are: 
 
 White of zinc, light chrome yellow, deep 
 chrome yellow, brick red, burnt sienna, Chi¬ 
 nese black, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, 
 Prussian blue, indigo, carmine lake, Vermil¬ 
 lion, verdigris, and the three chrome greens, 
 —light, deep, and very deep. 
 
 Gold paints will be separately treated. 
 (See Chapter XXIV.) 
 
 When repairing clays or terra-cotta, yellow 
 ochre is required, and to match some kinds 
 of bronzed plasters Paris green is some¬ 
 times absolutely necessary. For the ma¬ 
 jority of our restorations these colors are 
 diluted in copal varnish, which should be of 
 good consistency, and as colorless as can be 
 procured. Good dealers in artists’ materials 
 keep the “ Crystal ” brand, which is almost 
 of a transparent white. This varnish has 
 not the inconvenience of drying too quickly ; 
 and is easily diluted with rectified spirits of 
 turpentine. It is readily removed in case of 
 spilling or other accident, and according to 
 the proportion of turpentine added, the paint 
 can be made to appear glossy, dull or pul¬ 
 verulent. 
 
COLORS, VARNISHES AND BRUSHES. 55 
 
 The pencils or brushes used by us, are of 
 different sorts, according to the work re¬ 
 quired. To prepare the grounds we have 
 the flat ones ; to restore and accord the de¬ 
 sign, those in quills are good; for fine and 
 continuous lines the writers or stripers are 
 preferable; and, to effect the peculiar mar- 
 bleing (tape) found on modern pottery, quite 
 worn out brushes are preferable to new ones. 
 
 For smooth surfaces, none but those of 
 the best kind (finest spring) are to be used ; 
 even for clay coloring, the camel-hair brushes 
 will be found preferable to those made of 
 bristle, conveying the color more evenly over 
 the rough surfaces. 
 
 The time spent in keeping the brushes in 
 an absolute condition of cleanliness will re¬ 
 pay amply in beauty in the work and in 
 economy for the purse. It is materially im¬ 
 possible to obtain either good black or good 
 white from one brush superficially cleansed, 
 alternately used for the two; the second 
 paint will incline to gray. A good precau¬ 
 tion is to start with the lighter shades. To 
 clean them we proceed thus: Having first 
 rinsed them out in some turpentine contained 
 in a little cup, they are once more freed from 
 color by dipping them in pure varnisn (or 
 oil, if oil has been used), and rinsed out 
 again in fresh turpentine once or twice, until 
 the liquid remains colorless. 
 
 They are laid aside in a special box, and 
 
56 COLORS, VARNISHES AND BRUSHES. 
 
 to keep the moths from them we place 
 a small lump of camphor in it. It will be 
 of great assistance to apprentice-restorers, 
 not well posted about color mixing, to have 
 a set of soft pastels, which, by the grada¬ 
 tion of the tints, educate the novice’s eye; 
 but, of course, the intermixing of the colors 
 can only be acquired through close exami¬ 
 nation, good judgment and experience. 
 
 Pastel powders (soft) can sometimes be 
 used instead of the mineral colors, restoring 
 the previous shade, darkened by wetting 
 with the varnish, by the addition of a little 
 of some appropriate lighter powder, white 
 of zinc, generally; but we mention this pro¬ 
 cess as a last resort. 
 
 By the way, our readers should be warned 
 against the “settling” of the colors; those 
 mixed with lighter grades, the white espe¬ 
 cially, darkening from about one-twentieth to 
 one-tenth in drying. It is preferable to keep 
 above the given sample. 
 
 XXI.— Modes of Painting. 
 
 When one considers attentively the dec¬ 
 oration laid on a piece of china or enamelled 
 pottery, it can be observed that the colors 
 employed possess generally very strong 
 hues, but at the same time, that they are 
 spread on in extremely thin layers, showing 
 through their transparency the color of 
 the ground on which the painting is done. 
 
MODES OF PAINTING. 
 
 57 
 
 To the absence of the thorough understand¬ 
 ing of physical laws in connection with the 
 play of colors, more than to any other cause, 
 ought to be assigned the failure that has 
 accompanied the essays made by persevering 
 and talented amateurs, engaged in the decora¬ 
 tion of pieces of indigenous clay pottery, that 
 were to acquire the appearance of the regu¬ 
 lar potter’s make. In the permeability of 
 these colors, allowing the light’s rays to 
 strike the under refractive surface of the clay, 
 resides the secret of china colors being so 
 bright, so attractive, so sparkling in their 
 effect; a result that is surpassed only in 
 enamel work on polished metals, and that 
 cannot be acquired but by the overthrowing 
 of the notions generally accepted and taught. 
 Certainly, those of our lady readers who, on 
 account of the little spare time left to them, 
 or the fear of not succeeding in the work, will 
 not attempt the more important restorations, 
 will find quite a revelation in the reading of 
 the above lines, and will be greatly benefited 
 in one of their most delicate accomplish¬ 
 ments—“ home decorating.” 
 
 Several ways are offered for patching 
 the decoration. The first consists in con¬ 
 cealing entirely the seams under a thick, 
 broad and uniform coating of paint of the 
 color of the ground ; then, this being prepared 
 and dry, go over the decorated parts, with 
 appropriate colors, and draw anew the design 
 
53 
 
 MODES OF PAINTING. 
 
 wherever it has been entirely hidden by the 
 ground coating. 
 
 The second is to draw with the different 
 colors fine lines, following exactly the seams, 
 however they are situated. 
 
 The third, and the most difficult to practise, 
 but the one that, in return, gives the best re¬ 
 sults, is to borrow from the original as little as 
 possible, but more especially to take advan¬ 
 tage of the general design and to make ap¬ 
 propriate and harmonious additions to the 
 decorations. As often and as much as this 
 can be practically done, we give this process 
 the preference. 
 
 Whatever amount of attention has been 
 paid to the choice of the materials, however 
 skilful and experienced has been the artist 
 who has used the first process, it has been 
 remarked that these restorations suffer serious 
 climacteric changes; the paint, where the light 
 grounds dominate, the white particularly, in¬ 
 clining toward the yellow tinge. And such 
 changes seem to occur the more readily 
 when the articles are exposed to undue in¬ 
 fluences of strong light, excessive heat, sul¬ 
 phurous gases, or even dampness. 
 
 The drawing of lines, properly executed, is 
 not very noticeable on highly colored wares, 
 but when done on light-shaded parts, it re¬ 
 quires special care that the lines shall not 
 assume an objectionable appearance. 
 
 A great deal of ingenuity is required in 
 
MODES OF PAINTING. 
 
 59 
 
 concealing or blending in the decoration the 
 seams, chipped or replaced parts, of a restored 
 ornament. A sure hand, a refined taste, and a 
 good knowledge of drawing, are of absolute 
 necessity in most cases; but the preciseness 
 in the matching of the colors compels any¬ 
 one, a priori , to judge favorably of a job 
 lacking some other very important quality. 
 
 In the background, in the faint colors par¬ 
 ticularly, are to be found the resources for 
 the additions to be made by the ingenious 
 painter; but sometimes a part of the decora¬ 
 tion—an insect, a butterfly, a bird or plant— 
 boldly placed on the front, will give a most 
 happy result. In these additions, varying 
 with each case to be treated, no proper 
 directions can be given to assist the prac¬ 
 titioner. 
 
 XXII.— Grounds—Different Whites. 
 
 The white grounds are of general occur¬ 
 rence, and at the same time the more difficult 
 to execute properly, as great accuracy of 
 appreciation is necessary for the mixing of 
 these faint and delusive shades. The powders, 
 ground with the least possible quantity of 
 colorless copal varnish, diluted in spirits of 
 turpentine, should not leave any grain, and 
 hair particles or impurities are to be removed 
 entirely from the slab. The proportions of 
 the varnish must be such that no glo^s will 
 appear on the dried paint, though enough of 
 
GO GROUNDS-DIFFERENT WHITES. 
 
 it is required to give the necessary body, 
 without which it would not adhere to the 
 glaze, but peel off within a short time. 
 
 What we have said already about the set¬ 
 tling of the colors applies more forcibly to 
 this case; for the lighter the shades are, the 
 more readily detected will be the least 
 changes that might take place. Always 
 keep below the point, for darkening will cer¬ 
 tainly come quick enough. Only the fine 
 flat brush can be made use of for this work. 
 The paint is to be spread across the seam, in 
 short, regular and parallel layers ; and the 
 impulsion given to the brush must be so 
 managed that both ends of the touch be 
 extremely light, leaving a greater amount of 
 paint to the centre, immediately above the 
 line to be covered up. Several coatings 
 being always indispensable, it is necessary to 
 allow each of them full time to dry before 
 applying the following one. Six hours are 
 amply sufficient to do this. Each subsequent 
 coat must extend a little farther on each side 
 of the seam, so that the work, when properly 
 executed, will produce a layer of paint thick 
 enough in the centre to entirely conceal the 
 seam, while the edges will gradually fade out 
 into the general tone of the ground. The 
 bad condition of the joined parts, or the 
 color of the cement employed, require some¬ 
 times as many as six or eight consecutive 
 coatings before a satisfactory result is ob- 
 
GROUNDS DIFFERENT WHITES. 6 1 
 
 tained. The last one alone will contain the 
 necessary quantity of copal to give the de¬ 
 sired gloss—pure copal varnish, containing 
 but a very little quantity of the light shade 
 already applied, if operating on old faiences 
 or soft porcelain enamelled. To remedy the 
 sticking propensity of the varnish, a sojourn 
 of several hours in a moderately warm oven 
 will be given to the restored piece. This 
 work requires from the artist many special 
 qualities, among which is utmost cleanliness. 
 To circumscribe it to narrow limits is con¬ 
 sidered a talent toward which are concen¬ 
 trated all the efforts of the ambitious restorer. 
 Very unfortunately, its execution is of the 
 greatest difficulty, and if we add to this the 
 fear of changes the colors might assume in 
 time, we hardly need to advise our readers 
 to have recourse to it only when other pro¬ 
 cesses are inapplicable. On colored parts, 
 such work will be less difficult in its execu¬ 
 tion, and therefore much less objectionable. 
 The following directions concerning the dif¬ 
 ferent white grounds, will likely be of great 
 assistance to the beginner. In the case of 
 modern china, which possesses ordinarily a 
 blue tinge, a particle of indigo is to be added 
 to the white; the pate-tendre, of a milky 
 ■' white, requires no blue, but a little ochre; 
 and for the old Dresden, an addition of both 
 Prussian blue and ochre is necessary. For 
 Nankin or Canton wares, Prussian blue or 
 
62 
 
 GROUNDS-DIFFERENT WHITES. 
 
 indigo, with a little ochre or deep chrome 
 yellow, sometimes brick red, are to be added ; 
 and the peculiar cream-colored ground on 
 Satzuma, Kioto, and modern wares, requires 
 light chrome yellow and Prussian blue ; but 
 sometimes chrome orange, brick red or burnt 
 sienna, are to be added, these hues varying 
 greatly. Careful observers will note that by 
 reserving special colors (the blue principally) 
 for the gloss coating only, or last application 
 of varnish, quite a different result can be 
 obtained. 
 
 As for the thick, uniform and unctuous 
 enamels, found on oriental, Italian, Spanish, 
 Nevers, Nancy, old Dresden, Palissy and 
 Moustiers specimens, this rich appearance 
 can be imitated by a profuse use of the var¬ 
 nish employed, in which but a little of the 
 proper light shade is mixed. 
 
 Should, on the contrary, the proportion 
 of varnish employed have been too great, 
 this can be remedied by rubbing the surface 
 slightly with some prepared whiting wet with 
 water, using the finger or a fine rag, and wip¬ 
 ing off the deposit of powder with another 
 piece of dry, soft muslin. 
 
 If we should give all the invaluable re¬ 
 marks a long experience has enabled us to 
 make about the working and the mixing of 
 paints, they would carry us far beyond the 
 limits we have intended to give this book; 
 therefore, we are going to add but a few 
 
GROUNDS-DIFFERENT WHITES. 63 
 
 words, in reference to the color that comes 
 next in importance to the white—the blue. 
 The richest hues, known as Sevres blue, 
 king’s blue, and deep ultramarine, are imi¬ 
 tated with ultramarine and carmine. When 
 too rich, a little yellow ochre is added; if it 
 inclines toward the violet, more carmine is 
 wanted; and when pale or faded, a particle 
 of white zinc is employed, keeping always 
 enough varnish in the mixture to simulate 
 well the enamel. For Chinese and Japanese 
 blues, black is added; sometimes Prussian 
 blue, ochre and white, are combined sepa¬ 
 rately or altogether with the ultramarine. 
 
 XXIII.— Polishing Painted Surfaces. 
 
 In spite of all possible care exerted in the 
 laying of the grounds, and owing to the strong 
 body of the varnish lastly employed, the 
 painted surfaces will look, though sufficient¬ 
 ly glossy, rough, uneven, presenting a suc¬ 
 cession of undulations that will make the 
 whole differ obviously from the adjacent 
 smooth parts of the restored article. To 
 correct this very objectionable appearance 
 we have recourse to the levelling and polish¬ 
 ing of the painting. A piece of flannel, 
 dampened with water and sprinkled with 
 finely powdered pumice stone or nitrate of 
 baryta, is repeatedly passed over the painting, 
 decreasing the amount of rubbing as the 
 edges of the coating are neared. No soak- 
 
64 POLISHING PAINTED SURFACES. 
 
 ing is to be allowed, and no friction should 
 be persevered in, unless the rag be sufficient¬ 
 ly wet. When the surface is sufficiently lev¬ 
 eled, another dry rag is used to remove all 
 dampness and all of the scratching pow¬ 
 der at the same time. The second operation 
 is the polishing, which is done by an applica¬ 
 tion of olive oil, pure, or assisted by some 
 white insoluble powder, using cloth or flan¬ 
 nel ; finally, another dry rubbing with whit¬ 
 ing or starch is necessary to remove the oily 
 filth entirely. According to circumstances 
 the levelling is done before the glossing, or 
 before every successive coating with the gloss¬ 
 less ground shade; the polishing applies to 
 the varnish coat only. 
 
 XXIV.— Regilding—Metallic Reflec¬ 
 tion. 
 
 The patching of the metal decorated parts 
 requires as much of our attention as every 
 other branch of the painting. In general 
 we apply the gold, silver, etc., last, for by 
 proceeding otherwise, the consecutive and 
 repeated handlings of the ornament would 
 probably erase or at least tarnish such deli¬ 
 cate work. It may be also added that the 
 latter is much the less extensive part of the 
 decorating process; though its intelligent 
 application enhances considerably the ap¬ 
 pearance, and therefore the value, of the 
 adorned article. 
 
REGILDING-METALLIC REFLECTION. 65 
 
 Not more than half a dozen different 
 shades of gold are met with by the restorer; 
 and amid this limited number are some that 
 can be closely imitated by the intermixing 
 of the others; metal inks, gold mixtures, and 
 other secret compositions are entirely set 
 aside by us, the green color of the vehicle 
 being an evident proof that the bronzes have 
 been"already more or less oxidized by their 
 immersion in the liquid. 
 
 Exception is made, however, of gold and 
 silver on shells or cups, which are only finely 
 divided metals in gum mucilage. If on 
 hand they can be utilized and will answer 
 very well whenever a proper surface is ot¬ 
 tered (not recently oil painted or varnished), 
 and a dull appearance not objectionable; 
 but we think these by far too expensive for 
 a somewhat considerable job. 
 
 All the white metals are best obtained, 
 like the silver itself, in powder; but, more 
 fortunate than our ancestors, we are furnished 
 by commerce with very good imitations of 
 the more precious ore ; so, when provided 
 with the costly powder, or the leaves, we 
 can limit its use to cases where the coarse¬ 
 ness of the bronze powders would prevent 
 the fine sparkling effect of the burnished 
 metal. On potteries not enamelled and 
 bisque figures, the bronzes will prove quite 
 sufficient; and modern ornaments or Asiatic 
 productions seldom require the use of the 
 
 5 
 
66 REGILDING-METALLIC REFLECTION. 
 
 expensive substance. In such cases, we pre¬ 
 fer the powders mixed with copal varnish 
 as indicated for all the other colors, and 
 diluted with a maximum quantity of oil of 
 turpentine, in order that the mixture shall 
 produce no gloss, but possess only the adhe¬ 
 sive power necessary for the uniform spread¬ 
 ing of the metal; silver, or any other metal, 
 is to be applied in the same manner. 
 
 But when the gold to be imitated has the 
 bright appearance, the fine metal must be 
 employed. Then the use of the brush is to 
 be abandoned entirely; that is to say, as 
 far as the spreading of the fine material is 
 concerned. Two different methods can be 
 adopted: I. When the decoration is wanted 
 on portions not recently oil painted or var¬ 
 nished, gold leaf work gives very good re¬ 
 sults, proceeding as follows : A very weak 
 solution of gum water is used to design the 
 requisite parts and afterwards allowed to 
 dry; by simply breathing on the article, be 
 it china, glass, ivory or metal, sufficient ad¬ 
 hesive power will be produced for the gold 
 leaf work, which, to be executed properly, 
 requires special care. 2. The second pro¬ 
 cess consists in preparing, or preferably buy¬ 
 ing, some of the composition known among 
 paint dealers as gilder’s mixture, or some 
 japanner’s gold size. The former is made 
 of fat oil and ochre, to which a small pro¬ 
 portion of dryer is added. Chrome yellow, 
 
REGILDING—-METALLIC REFLECTION. 6/ 
 
 light or deep, brick red, etc., are also added 
 to better correspond with the shade of the 
 wanted gold ; if for silver, white of zinc is em¬ 
 ployed. Brought up to paint consistency by 
 a moderate quantity of spirits of turpentine, 
 it is employed with a brush to draw the de¬ 
 sired ornaments, and the mixture being 
 allowed from 15 to 24 hours to dry, accord¬ 
 ing to the proportion of siccatif entering into 
 it, is ready for the application of the gold, 
 silver or other metal, beaten in leaves as 
 well as ground to powder. Practice only 
 can tell when the mixture has acquired the 
 proper degree of dryness for the best adher- 
 ency of the metal upon it; it should be only 
 clammy to the touch. The metallic leaves 
 are laid on with cotton-wool or gilder’s tips 
 (wide long-haired brushes), and the powders 
 are spread with a soft piece of cloth or cha¬ 
 mois skin rolled up in the shape of a stump. 
 Should not the gentle rubbing with the pow¬ 
 der give the satisfactory brilliancy, the piece 
 should be allowed to dry for a few days 
 more, after which the agate or blood-stone 
 burnisher, actively brought into use, will 
 give the desired result. 
 
 XXV.— Biscuit—Parian Marble. 
 
 The restoration of biscuit or bisque differs 
 very little from that of porcelain, and the 
 numerous explanations given when treating 
 of the different cements, make us confident 
 
68 
 
 BISCUIT—PARIAN MARBLE. 
 
 that very little trouble ought to be experi¬ 
 enced in the choice of the process of repair¬ 
 ing or of the cementing material to be adopt¬ 
 ed. However difficult it seems to be to 
 conceal the line left after the use of the pre¬ 
 pared shellac on a white surface, we persist 
 in recommending that substance for the 
 more exposed parts of the article, especially 
 when they are relatively heavy and protru¬ 
 ding considerably, as for instance, the ex¬ 
 tended arm of a figure. Sometimes, taking 
 advantage of the cavities formed by the fold¬ 
 ings of the dress or the surrounding raised 
 work, the riveting can be effected and the 
 clasps hidden entirely by bringing level over 
 them the surfaces by means of the artificial 
 plastic paste, or even adding new raised or¬ 
 naments to conceal them. Plaster, clay, 
 terra-cotta and earthen-ware, are easily 
 grooved out to admit them ; but the same 
 work can be done on biscuit or harder sub¬ 
 stances only when provided with the emery 
 wheel. 
 
 Painting on white surfaces is somewhat 
 difficult to execute ; the white paint (colored 
 to correspond), made of varnish containing 
 an excess of turpentine, can be used, provi¬ 
 ded the edges are well blended. Equal 
 parts of white of zinc and whiting in very 
 weak glue water, gum water, or milk, are 
 also employed with good results. Several 
 coatings being always necessary, the paint 
 
BISCUIT—-PARIAN MARBLE. 69 
 
 should be very weak. Well regulated must 
 be the quantity of it the brush is charged 
 with; promptness and regularity in the ap¬ 
 plication being the best elements of success. 
 When dry, a final rubbing with the finest 
 No. 00 sand-paper will restore the semi-pol¬ 
 ish of the grain. 
 
 XXVI.— Cloisonne and Enamel Work. 
 
 Cloisonnage is executed in many different 
 ways. The metallic ribbon separating the 
 differently colored enamels is sometimes 
 fastened on the copper or brass sheets of 
 which the article is made; and, at other 
 times, is simply laid on potteries of hard or 
 soft make. The difficulty in the restoration 
 of these elaborate pieces, is particularly due 
 to the presence of these little ribbons, which, 
 owing to the ductile material of which they 
 are made, do not break, but tear off, and 
 carry away part of the loosened enamel. To 
 reset the metallic bands is assuredly not prac¬ 
 ticable, and therefore the best way is to cut 
 them off level to the surface with scissors or 
 sharp wire-cutters. Being freed of obstacles 
 to the good joining of the main parts, the 
 article is cemented, shellacked, or fastened 
 by additional pieces of metal, neatly soldered 
 on, inside or outside, according to the case. 
 Then, making use of the finest available 
 flat-file, the little metal roughnesses are 
 smoothed down even with the enamel, taking 
 
CLOISONNE AND ENAMEL WORK. 
 
 care not to rub on it, for it would resist the 
 action of the tool and quickly spoil it. With 
 proper care, the use of fine sand-paper can 
 be indulged in to insure a greater uniformity 
 of surface. 
 
 The process of the making, approximatively 
 followed, is alone susceptible of giving satis¬ 
 faction ; no recourse to the paint is necessary 
 nor practicable in that case, as the differences 
 of coloring between the different parts will 
 be obtained by the varied shades given the 
 paste that is to fill the cavities. This paste 
 can be made of white or yellow wax, in which 
 rosin (one-third) is dissolved and colored 
 with a mixture of dry colors, producing at 
 will the opacity or transparency of the sam¬ 
 ple, according to the quantity of w'hite em¬ 
 ployed; the metallic lines are drawn with the 
 bronze paint, spread with a very narrow brush. 
 But such work can hardly stand any hand¬ 
 ling, and is to be executed only by persons that 
 attend personally to their collections. A 
 better result by far can be secured by giving 
 the gum-whiting paste the desired color; 
 in that case a little trial-piece should be com¬ 
 posed of each separate color, which, being 
 dried and waxed up to give the necessary 
 lustre, will serve for comparison. The metal 
 lines are to be imitated as directed above. 
 More pains will insure a much better job, and 
 the hard paste used will not only greatly 
 strengthen the broken parts, but the colors 
 
CLOISONNE AND ENAMEL WORK. Jl 
 
 themselves will prove as perfectly lasting as 
 those of any other part on the same article. 
 
 The repairing of - enamel work requires 
 good judgment and the most attentive care. 
 The metal parts of gold, silver, or copper, 
 having recovered their original shape by 
 hammering, gentle pressure with a piece of 
 hard wood or by the use of appropriate tools, 
 are covered with the gum shellac, obtain- 
 ing a good adhesion, and levelling with a 
 heated blade. The imperfections are to be 
 corrected with the gum-whiting paste, a fine 
 brush moistened with water serving to round 
 up the parts the knife would not work suc¬ 
 cessfully. The consecutive operations are 
 the same as those practised on porcelain 
 or earthen-ware, the only difference con¬ 
 sisting in a more profuse use of the var¬ 
 nish employed in the coloring. Sometimes, 
 to set off the brilliant colors, or to better 
 imitate precious gems, some sheets of gold 
 foil (silver for the enamels of basse-taille) 
 are laid under the transparent enamel. Then 
 we have to use the same material ourselves, 
 and we fasten it on the paste by means of a 
 little dryer, before the application of the var¬ 
 nish colors. It should be remembered that 
 prepared glue will answer very poorly to 
 fasten loose pieces of enamel; for, the metal, 
 having been somewhat bent out of shape, the 
 particles fit but very imperfectly; we prefer 
 the use of Canadian balsam, which by its per¬ 
 fect transparency insures entire satisfaction. 
 
72 BOHEMIAN OR VENETIAN GLASS. 
 
 XXVII.— Bohemian or Venetian Glass. 
 
 Cut Crystal 
 
 Many different processes can be used when 
 broken pieces of glass are to be fastened to¬ 
 gether ; the preference to be given depends 
 entirely upon their size, form, weight, etc., 
 and whether the article, being repaired, will be 
 put in further use, and to what sort of influ¬ 
 ence it will be subjected. A cologne bottle, 
 for instance, can be rendered as good as ever, 
 if provided with all the pieces, procuring a 
 perfect joint; for, strong alcohol forming the 
 base of the perfume, we can safely use the 
 ordinary glue cement, which is not affected 
 by it; but, should this bottle be washed out 
 with ordinary water, the glue would yield to 
 the solving element of which it is itself made. 
 On the contrary, an article that will be ex¬ 
 posed to water, should be fastened with 
 boiled linseed oil, Canadian balsam, copal 
 varnish, shellac, or any other sticking sub¬ 
 stance not acted upon by water. Riveting, 
 except for shellac, is necessary when the 
 article is united with the above substances, 
 and can be as easily effected on glass as on 
 china or earthen-ware. It is recommended 
 especially for articles of great weight which 
 are apt to fall apart again as a consequence 
 of the complete drying of the cementing- 
 material, or on account of the improper fit¬ 
 ting obtained and unnoticed at the time of 
 the joining together. When the particles 
 
CUT CRYSTAL. 
 
 73 
 
 of glass are small, gum shellac is much 
 preferable; but when the surfaces to be de¬ 
 pended upon are very narrow, comparatively, 
 to the strain the article is exposed to—as for 
 example the stem of a vase, or the middle 
 part of a stopper—a metallic pin (brass or 
 iron) is inserted in the centre, to strengthen 
 that weaker place. The hidden pin ought to 
 be long enough to take hold from the thicker 
 parts, and is not to exceed in size one-third 
 of the diameter of the broken surface. The 
 two holes for the pin must correspond very 
 exactly; and the pieces to be bored out must 
 be firmly held in a wood frame, by means of 
 small wood wedges or screws, during the 
 operation, which requires a great steadiness 
 of hand, and we may add, is also not always 
 exempt from risks. (See Figs. 6, 7, p. 45 -) 
 
 XXVIII. —Metal Rings—Bronze Orna¬ 
 ments. 
 
 Should the slender part offer an even sur¬ 
 face, the pin is advantageously replaced by a 
 close-fitting ring, very thin, plain or orna¬ 
 mented, and wide enough to insure the neces¬ 
 sary strength. These rings can be made to 
 order by any jeweler; sometimes some can be 
 found at the store of a dealer in sinokeis 
 goods which will answer the purpose very well. 
 But why not at once tell how to make these 
 rings? We seldom, in a long practice, have 
 found an outsider understanding as well as 
 
74 METAL RINGS—BRONZE ORNAMENTS. 
 
 ourselves what we want exactly in these 
 little matters, which cannot be of more im¬ 
 portance to him than the small amount of 
 money he can derive therefrom. 
 
 So, we cut a little band of paper, being in 
 width the height of the proposed ring; we 
 turn it round the stem to measure the length 
 to be given the sheet of metal, allowing 
 enough for the difference in thickness. Then, 
 we cut out the metal, brass or German silver, 
 with a pair of scissors or metal shears. We 
 give it the round shape on a piece of iron 
 rod, and we hold the edges close together 
 by means of a very fine piece of wire. Hav¬ 
 ing placed one or two small lumps of tin over 
 the seam, inside the ring, we pass the whole 
 over the spirit lamp, or use the blow-pipe 
 until the soldering is effected. As the tin 
 would not alone spread even and adhere to 
 the brass, we are going to give the receipt 
 for a liquid solder, which will bring the neces¬ 
 sary assistance; we have found it answering 
 equally well on iron, which makes us consider 
 it as a precious acquisition. One drop applied 
 on the tin will cause it to run immediately. 
 Take of muriatic acid (hydrochloric) 12 fluid 
 ounces ; zinc 3 ounces; muriate of ammonia 
 half an ounce; alcohol one ounce. Then 
 put the zinc into a stout flask, gradually 
 pour the acid upon it, and let it stand until 
 the effervescence has ceased ; then decant the 
 clear liquid, dissolve the salt of ammonia and 
 
METAL RINGS-BRONZE ORNAMENTS. 75 
 
 add the alcohol. Having been led to speak 
 about metal work, and having explained how 
 to effect soldering on brass, we at the same 
 time have removed the great obstacle to the 
 repairing of metal mountings, that are often 
 affixed to fine ornamental wares. Though 
 the brazing would be more reliable, it is only 
 applied when the metal can be easily sepa- 
 rated (unscrewed) from the main piece, for 
 fear the excessive heat required to melt the 
 hard solder would endanger the adjacent 
 pieces of pottery, thus saving time and 
 avoiding the risk of taking apart. In mak¬ 
 ing use of the blow-pipe, the practitioner 
 should not allow the flame to be steadily 
 directed on the brittle substance, as the heat 
 projected on a single spot would crack the 
 ornament, the neighboring parts not partak¬ 
 ing of the necessary gradual expansion. 
 Quite a number of separate bronze orna¬ 
 ments can be restored in the same way; but 
 what has been said above does not apply, in 
 the least, to bronze imitations, which are mere 
 castings of lead or pewter containing zinc, 
 bismuth, etc., and that very seldom stand a 
 new application of heat. 
 
 XXIX.— Terra-Cotta and Clay Work. 
 
 Small articles made of terra-cotta, painted 
 in oil-color, varnish, or any other liquid form¬ 
 ing a gloss, are, as a rule, most easily re¬ 
 paired ; a discreet amount of prepared glue 
 
7 6 TERRA-COTTA AND CLAY WORK. 
 
 will generally answer the purpose ; still bet¬ 
 ter will be the mucilage made of gum traga- 
 canth. When the parts are more exposed or 
 have to stand more strain, the gum shellac 
 should be preferred. Sometimes, considering 
 the shape or the narrowness of the damaged 
 parts, we insert inside the article wooden pegs 
 or metal pins as has been explained about 
 glass ware (Chap. XXVII.) We shall not 
 speak further about the finishing or coloring 
 part, already amply treated. Extra large 
 pieces, such as garden-vases, statuary, must 
 be relieved of all possible dampness before 
 beginning the cementing operation. When 
 properly dried they are joined with putty, 
 gum aiabic and plaster, or any other preferred 
 cement—a number of them being given in 
 Chap. XV.—and finally riveted together. 
 
 Repairing of terra-cotta not painted and 
 that of baked clay are exactly alike. The 
 clay ornaments, figurines, busts and groups, 
 etc., that have been soiled by dust or greasy 
 contact with the hands, should be (unless 
 anterior repairs are suspected) entirely 
 cleansed in potash water or hot suds and 
 well rinsed off; being well dried, they are 
 put together with the appropriate cement, 
 and the cracks are filled up, the missing parts 
 provided for, etc., except the oiling. The 
 main difficulty consists in the coloring, which 
 at first sight seems, on the contrary, the most 
 easy part of the job. None but water-colors 
 
TERRA-COTTA AND CLAY WORK. 77 
 
 can be successfully applied on clay; and, if 
 not spread out with dexterity and uniformity, 
 they will soak out the glue that has been 
 employed to cement together, or will deform 
 the filling work just completed. 
 
 If the piece is fastened with shellac, the 
 water-color, not being absorbed by that gum, 
 as it is by the clay, has a tendency to run, 
 and leaves but a series of small drops of 
 darker color. It is to remedy this difficulty 
 that some have given suggestions for joining 
 together with plaster, the pieces and their 
 surroundings being previously well moistened 
 with water. This might do well enough for 
 one or two pieces occupying a well-framed 
 space, but we think the plaster does not in¬ 
 sure in every case enough of the necessary 
 solidity to be generally recommended. 
 
 If the proportion of gum arabic or glue is 
 too great, the color coating will shell off after 
 a few days’ drying, or will form a stain on the 
 clay; and, if the quantity of powder is not 
 sufficient, it will not cover enough ; a moder¬ 
 ate amount of each is to be employed. A 
 great variety of shades are given to the clay ; 
 the one more often encountered can be imi¬ 
 tated by using white of zinc and yellow 
 ochre, each four parts, brick red two, and 
 black one. Some Italian makes need only 
 ochre and burnt umber. 
 
 The color mixture on the slab must be 
 kept much above the sample, for it will 
 
j 8 TERRA-COTTA AND CLAY WORK. 
 
 weaken considerably in drying. A little 
 touch with it, given on some part of the 
 base, will greatly assist toward the desired 
 result. Two consecutive coatings are always 
 necessary. For supplementary instructions, 
 see Biscuit Coloring (Chap. XXV.) 
 
 XXX.— Repairing, Painting and Bronz¬ 
 ing on Plaster. 
 
 The soft nature of plaster, and the want of 
 adherence between its particles, render it a 
 most indocile substance to cement with the 
 gum shellac in its ordinary state. But its 
 surface can be easily hardened by satuiating 
 with a solution of alum or borax applied with 
 a brush; in this condition it will admit any 
 sort of paint application. Attempting to 
 clean it by rubbing with sand-paper or scrap¬ 
 ing tools would seriously damage it, for it 
 would lay bare the little cavities or air-holes, 
 contained in the plaster. Cleansing liquids 
 being of no avail, we will indicate how to 
 color the pieces. They can be given the 
 appearance of clay by following the pre- 
 viously given directions, or be made to imi¬ 
 tate bronze. Several processes can be se¬ 
 lected from. We give the plainest one. The 
 borax or alum coating being sufficiently dry, 
 prepare a very weak solution of glue tinted 
 to the desired shade; try on some hidden 
 part of the base, and if satisfactory, paint the 
 
REPAIRING, PAINTING, AND BRONZING. 79 
 
 article with it, avoiding the filling of all small 
 cavities. A good shade can be obtained with 
 Prussian blue, black, and yellow ochre. Give 
 the first coating time to dry, and apply a 
 second one. The salient parts are touched 
 up with some bronze powder before the com¬ 
 plete drying of the second coat, blending the 
 edges; or, if already too dry, by breathing 
 on it it will adhere sufficiently. Lastly, to 
 give the burnished appearance, some wax 
 encaustic is spread on and rubbed uniformly. 
 Some artisans have carried so far the art of 
 applying all sorts of painting on plaster or 
 clays, that they imitate old wood carvings, 
 ivories, dug-out medals or metal relics, ori¬ 
 ental fire-arms, panoplies, rusted iron-mon- 
 gery, old worm-eaten frames, etc., in fact, all 
 sorts of old and rare objects, in the most 
 deceiving manner. 
 
 Such perfect imitations, no doubt, are 
 creditable to the marvellous talent displayed 
 by the artists engaged in that occupation; 
 but, we may add with a deep sense of satis¬ 
 faction, that the sale of these pernicious plas¬ 
 ters is as limited as that of the genuine and 
 incomparably more costly articles. Very 
 limited as yet is the number of customers 
 found for these; and we hope, for the sake 
 of decency and good taste, to hear that the 
 filling up of houses with these base substitu¬ 
 tions has been entirely abandoned. 
 
80 CLEANING DELICATE ORNAMENTS. 
 
 XXXI— Cleaning Delicate Ornaments. 
 
 Being strongly opposed to the use of any 
 patent preparations, on account of the worth¬ 
 less imitations of the deserving article, we 
 recommend not to use any secret polishing 
 compound, except when bought direct from 
 a responsible concern. The majority of these 
 articles are injurious to fine work, being made 
 of improperly sifted powders ; some are found 
 that contain salts of tin, mercury, copper or 
 acids, pumice-stone, etc., whose action it is 
 impossible to foretell. We have indicated 
 how to deprive the common whiting of sand 
 or other scratching particles (see Chap. X\ I.) 
 This powder is as servicable as any, and its 
 action is only mechanical. 
 
 Working in a warm room, the gold or sil¬ 
 ver-plated bronze must be well deprived of 
 any greasy substance, by scrubbing it with 
 hot suds, as we would a piece of biscuit or 
 Parian marble; any green spots are to be 
 removed with vinegar or weak sulphuric acid. 
 The piece is rinsed out in water (rain water 
 preferably) and sprinkled all over with hot 
 sawdust, to remove quickly all the dampness, 
 it is then dusted off. Coating it all over with 
 well diluted whiting, giving time for partial 
 drying, all the work is gone over with a 
 wide tooth brush, to remove the white pow¬ 
 der entirely. On modern brass goods, highly 
 polished and varnished, no water application 
 should be allowed. A fine rag just damp is 
 
CLEANING DELICATE ORNAMENTS. 81 
 
 all that can be used. Should they be decided¬ 
 ly altered, the best way is to hand them over 
 to the manufacturer, who has all the appli¬ 
 ances to unvarnish and revarnish them after 
 having subjected them to another polishing. 
 
 Glass-wares .—The vulgar notion that 
 everything is best cleansed by using hot 
 scalding water, is to be entirely forgotten 
 when cleaning refers to pieces of cut glass, 
 or even thin pieces of either porcelain or 
 earthen-ware. Quick transitions of heat and 
 cold are to be carefully avoided; and even 
 the use of lukewarm or tepid water on heavy 
 glass is not less dangerous than that of boiling 
 water itself. 
 
 Potash, soda, soap, cream of tartar, yolk 
 of eggs, etc., are readily found in any house¬ 
 hold, and are amply sufficient to assist the 
 cold water. Well rinsed out, the piece is 
 laid aside to dry on a clean towel, without 
 being wiped off. 
 
 Marble and Alabaster .—To take spots out 
 of marble hearths or statuary, the following 
 receipts can be tried: I. Wash off every morn¬ 
 ing, with white soap and water, until the spot 
 disappears. 2. Pearl ash, fuller’s earth and 
 whiting, equal parts; mix with alcohol to a 
 paste and cover the spots. 3. A piece of 
 chamois skin wet with chloroform or benzine, 
 and renewed several times. 4. Equal parts 
 of whiting and pumice-stone in powder, mixed 
 with water and white soap brought to a froth. 
 
 6 
 
82 CLEANING DELICATE ORNAMENTS. 
 
 5. Diluted sulphuric or muriatic acid, from 
 five to twenty parts of water for one of acid; 
 begin with the weakest solution and rinse 
 out profusely with water, after the acid 
 application. 
 
 Should any powder or acid have destroyed 
 the polish, the parts are rubbed with white 
 wax, well spread with a piece of cloth. 
 
 Wood, plaster, ivory, parchment, satin, etc .— 
 I. Calcined magnesia, well dried, mixed with 
 benzine to the consistency of a friable mass; 
 cover the spot with the paste, and renew, if 
 necessary. 2. Rub gently with the soft part 
 of a clean piece of stale bread. 
 
 Badly soiled plasters—See Chap. XXXII. 
 
 Gilding on %vood .—No rubbing, but a very 
 soft paint-brush dipped in rain water, passed 
 over the soiled parts. To restore the bright¬ 
 ness, the gilded parts are done over with 
 yolk of egg, which is employed as an or¬ 
 dinary varnish. 
 
 XXXII.— A Help to the Memory. 
 
 [When a single date is used, it is that of the founding of 
 the establishment.] 
 
 Alhambra Vase. Admirable specimen of Moorish pot¬ 
 tery found under the pavement of the castle of the Alhambra 
 (Grenada, Spain). Supposed make of 1320; it is four feet 
 three inches high, and is made of earthen-ware and deco¬ 
 rated with a most complicated raised work, enamelled with 
 two different shades of blue on a white ground, the whole 
 heightened with gold and copper reflection. A copy of it 
 was made in the Sevres factory in 1842. There were a 
 pair of them found, but one got badly spoiled, of which 
 a French lady secured some of the broken parts. 
 
A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 83 
 
 Antiquity of the Ceramic Art. According to Pliny the 
 first pieces of porcelain seen in Rome were brought there 
 from Pontus in Asia, by the army of Pompey, 64 years 
 before Christ; but the Chinese were making it 1800 years 
 before that; pottery is supposed to have been made in 
 China 2690 B. c. 
 
 Anspach. Town of Saxony, Germany, producing imi¬ 
 tations of Rouen earthen-wares. 1718. 
 
 Avignon (Vaucluse, France). Brown and yellow 
 coarse potteries. 1500-1715. 
 
 Avon. Village near Fontainebleau, France, well known 
 for its factories, making imitations of Palissy ware. 
 
 Awari. See Owari. 
 
 Awata. Name given to a Japanese pottery of fine 
 quality with delicate crackled glaze of cream or velum 
 color, decorated with painting in enamel colors, some¬ 
 times gold. Known as Shiba, Tokey, Kioto or Tokio. 
 
 Bayreuth. (Bavaria, Germany). Manufactory of 
 earthen-ware and porcelain. 1740. 
 
 Banko or Manko. Japanese pottery of white or 
 brown clay, very thin, unglazed; sometimes a fine black 
 glaze is used, decorated with impressed patterns, also, with 
 bold paintings in enamel colors, usually flowers. 
 
 Beauvais (Oise, France). Enamelled stone-ware; 
 traced to the middle ages. 1395 to the present day. 
 
 Berlin (Germany). “ Kaiser porzellan manufactur,” 
 specially devoted to hard porcelain. 1750 to the present 
 day. 
 
 Bishu. Japanese porcelain with glaze of black enamel, 
 decorated with gold. It is generally called “ Lac ware.” 
 
 Bordeaux (Gironde, France). Hard porcelain. 1714 
 to the present day. 
 
 Bottcher (Johann Friedrich), was an assistant in a 
 Berlin apothecary’s shop. To escape persecution, having 
 been denounced as an alchemist, he fled to Saxony, his 
 native country. August the Second, visiting Dresden at 
 the time, having been told of the young man as having 
 discovered the universal panacea, secured a private meet¬ 
 ing with him; but, notwithstanding his denial, had him 
 watched by another alchemist named Ehrenfried Walter 
 von Tschirnhatts. The action of the fire on the crucibles 
 employed by his companion, led Bottcher to compare them 
 
8 4 
 
 A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 with Chinese porcelain, and he spoke about it, but, for fear 
 the remarks would attract outsiders’ attention, the king 
 assigned him the castle of Albrechtsburg at Messein, as a 
 tuture residence. When Charles the iwelfth of Sweden 
 conquered Saxony in 1706, King August sent, with a strong 
 cavalry escort, Bottcher, Tschirnhaus and their three work¬ 
 men assistants, to the fortress of Konigstein, where a labora¬ 
 tory was constructed for them. The following year they 
 were brought back to Dresden, and there continued their 
 experiments. Some knowledge of the processes and 
 earths employed by the Chinese, having been transmitted 
 to France by Francois Xavier d’Entrecolles, a resident in 
 that barbarous country, helped considerably the progress 
 in the new art. Tschirnhaus died in 1703, and Bottcher 
 was given charge of the factory the king had just erected 
 in Messein. Most unfortunately, he superintended the 
 works but four years, dying in 1719, only reaching the 
 thirty-seventh year of his age. The greatest secrecy was 
 required of all connected with the manufactory. How¬ 
 ever, permits to visit the works were granted to Brongniart, 
 the French chemist, at the instance of the all-powerful 
 Napoleon the First, 1812. 
 
 Bourg-La-Reine (Seine, France). Hard porcelain. 
 1 7 73. 
 
 Bow or Stratford-on-Bow (England). Soft poice- 
 lain. 1730. 
 
 Bristol (England). Hard porcelain, 1 77 2 5 so ‘ c poice- 
 lain, 1774; earthen-ware, 1787. 
 
 Buen-Retiro (Spain). Celebrated porcelain factory 
 of soft paste, situated in the palace of Charles the Third, 
 in Madrid. 1759-1812. 
 
 Burslem (England). Important ceramic centre; solt 
 
 porcelain and biscuit. I 77 °- 
 
 Capo-di-Monte (Italy). Earthen-ware and soft porce¬ 
 lain. 1736-1821. , , , . 
 
 Chantilly (Oise, France). Soft and hard porcelain, 
 
 pipe clay. 1725-1817. . . 
 
 Chelsea (England). Old and important porcelain 
 
 factory. 1730-1765. . 
 
 Chinese Porcelain. Under the dynasty of Tsin, 265-419 
 A. D., the porcelain made at Tsong-ngeou was held in great 
 esteem. In 583 the factories of King-te-tching, placed under 
 
A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 §5 
 
 the patronage of the court, received considerable impulsion, 
 these works being in activity for over eight hundred years. 
 The prevailing color of the wares seem to have changed 
 with each dynasty. The Tchin preferred the blue, 577- 
 581; the Soui, the green, 581-618; the Thang, the pure 
 white, 618-907. The emperor Tchin-Tsong gave his name 
 to the sky-blue kind, the finest and the most esteemed amid 
 the ancient makes, 954-1007. The antique porcelain is 
 classified as fellows: 1. The finest quality, the Tchai-yao or 
 Tchai, manufactured in the province of Ho-nan, 954 5 the 
 secrets of its fabrication were lost many years ago. 2. The 
 You-tcheou, province of Kan-son, 960-1279. 3. The 
 
 Kouan-yao, or magistrates’ porcelain, 1107-1117. 4. The 
 
 Ko-yao, or eldest brother’s porcelain. 5. The Ting-yao, 
 province of Pe tchi-li. The manufacture of the imitation 
 of the old makes dating from the most remote epoch, the 
 exact description of these different wares would be of very 
 little practical value. 
 
 Choisy-le-Roi (France). Centre of manufactories of 
 earthen-ware, soft and hard porcelain. 1785 to the present 
 day. 
 
 Cologne (Germany). Enamelled stone-ware. 1550. 
 
 Copeland. Name of a ceramist. See Stoke-on-Trent. 
 
 Delft (Holland). Important centre of fabrication of 
 earthen-ware. 1310 to the present day. 
 
 Derby or Derby-Chelsea (England). Porcelain 
 works, soft paste. 1750-1770. 
 
 Dresden (Germany). City possessing the oldest col¬ 
 lection of Chinese and Japanese wares; also a full col¬ 
 lection of the porcelain productions, showing step by step 
 the progress that important industry has made since the 
 date of its discovery. 
 
 Ewer (Aiguiere, in French). High pitcher on a foot. 
 
 Faenza (Italy). One of the oldest factories of the 
 kingdom ; supposed origin, 1480. From that name is de¬ 
 rived the French word, faience, meaning earthen-ware. 
 
 Frankenthal (Bavaria). Hard porcelain. 1754-1760. 
 
 Fulda (Germany). Centre of porcelain manufacture, 
 started by the Prince-Bishop of that town, in his own pal¬ 
 ace. 1763-1780. 
 
 Fulham (England). Renowned for its soft porcelain 
 frpir s a'vl marbled table-ware, in imitation of the Chi¬ 
 nese. 16S4. 
 
86 
 
 A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 Furstemberg (Germany). Hard porcelain factory, 
 under the protection of Charles, Duke of Brunswick. 
 
 I7 Gien (Loiret, France). Important manufactory of 
 earthen-ware ; imitations of all ancient makes. 
 
 Gotha (Germany). Manufactory of hard porcelain. 
 178c. 
 
 Henri the Second. See Oiron, France. 
 
 Heshu or Hezen. Japanese porcelain of fine quality, 
 and egg-shell ware, decorated with color ; also blue, in 
 imitation of Nankin, or ornamented with flowers modelled 
 in slight relief. 
 
 Hiradoson. Japanese porcelain ; egg-shell ware oi the 
 finest quality, decorated with blue and colors. 
 
 Hochst on Mein (Germany). Important factories of 
 earthen-ware and porcelain, under the protection of the 
 Archbishop of Mentz. I 74 °- . 
 
 Imari. Japanese porcelain, colors in the enamel; 
 leaves and flowers on white ground. 
 
 lie Saint-Denis (France). Hard porcelain. I 77 °- 
 
 Kaga or Kutani. Japanese pottery and heavy porce¬ 
 lain usually decorated with elaborate paintings in red and 
 cold ; sometimes blue or green is introdifced. Kutani is 
 the name of the place where the factories of the Prince of 
 Kaga are situated. . 
 
 Keltersbach (Germany). Hard porcelain. 1750. 
 
 Kio-Tzing Name given by the Chinese to a cunous 
 kind of porcelain. The article is made of two layers of 
 porcelain paste; the outer shape being procured by the 
 ordinary process, the decoration is done inside, covered with 
 another sheet of porcelain and enamelled, so as to conceal 
 the decoration. Then the outside first covering is eaten 
 off by the wheel as close to the decoration as possible, 
 and finally enamelled so as to obliterate almost entire y 
 the colors. It is only when the articles are filled up with 
 liquid that the decoration appears plainly ; but, so much 
 time and care are to be bestowed upon the making ol the 
 Kio-tzing, that the art is seldom practised. 
 
 King-te-Ching. Great centre of ceramic manufactuie. 
 The number of factories established in that Chinese place 
 is estimated to be five hundred, and give employment 
 to more than one hundred thousand artisans. 
 
A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 8 / 
 
 Kioto or Kiyoto. Name for Japanese-ware. Accord¬ 
 ing to the finish of the work, it is sometimes called Awata 
 
 or Satzuma. , • o 
 
 Korzec (Poland). Manufactory of hard porcelain. 1803. 
 Kutahia (Turkey). Ancient earthen-ware factory. 
 XIVth to XIXth century. 
 
 Kutani. See Kaga. .. 
 
 Ku-Tong. Name given by the Chinese to the imita¬ 
 tions of antique potteries. _ 
 
 Lambeth (England). Earthen-ware industry. Im¬ 
 ported by the Dutch; fine tiles. 1640-1646. 
 
 Lille (Nord, France). Centre of manufactories. Earthen¬ 
 ware, 1696; soft porcelain, 1711 ; hard porcelain, 1784. 
 Limbach (Germany). Hard porcelain. 1760. 
 Limoges (France). Porcelain factoiies. 1 773 ■ 
 Lisieux (Fiance). Earthen table-ware. 1650. 
 Liverpool (England). Ceramic centre for earthen-ware 
 and soft porcelain. 1670. 
 
 Locre (Paris, France). Hard earthen-ware factory, 
 known under the name of “ La Courtille. * 773 - 
 Lodi (Italy). Earthen-ware. 1764. 
 
 Longport (England). Ancient porcelain. 1 793 - 
 Longwy (Mozelle, France). Important earthen-ware 
 factory ; pipe clay ; a specialty, called rock-work. Fancy 
 Japanese cloisonne decoration. 
 
 Louisburg (Germany). Earthen-ware. 1 7 2 5 - 
 Lucca-della-Robbia. Family name of the famous 
 Italian sculptors who first applied enamel to clay. 143 ?- 
 Luneville (Meurthe, France). Important ceramic 
 manufactories, 1731 ; products sometimes called “Terre 
 de Lorraine.” Also, hard porcelain. 1769. 
 
 Luxemburg (Holland). Earthen-ware. I 7 ° 7 - 
 Lyon (Rhone, France). Birth-place of the earthen¬ 
 ware industry ; introduced into that city by Jean Fran- 
 cisque, of Pesaro, Italy, 1 53 ^- , , 
 
 Majolica. A kind of coarse pottery made on the 
 Island of Majorca, Spain, where the Saracens had estab¬ 
 lished a factory. Transplanted into Sicily, the new in¬ 
 dustry received the greatest impulse under Lucca-delia- 
 Robbia from 1400 to 1481, who left many specimens dem¬ 
 onstrating amply the superiority of his knowledge in that 
 sort of manufacture. This pottery is first made of red 
 
88 
 
 A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 earth, then covered with a layer of white clay, decorated 
 and varnished with a lead enamel. 
 
 Majorca (Spanish Islands). Manufactory of varnished 
 clays with metallic reflections, traced as far as the VUIth 
 century. 
 
 Malaga (Portugal). Same production as above. 
 XHIth century. 
 
 Manko. See Banko. 
 
 Manissez (Spain). Ancient factory. Earthen-ware 
 with metallic reflection. XVth century. 
 
 Manual of pottery and porcelain marks. A favorite 
 book for the ceramic amateur, by W. H. Hooper and W. C. 
 Phillips, London. 
 
 Marieberg (Sweden). Earthen-ware; porcelain. 1750. 
 
 Marseilles (France). Important ceramic factory; 
 eart,hen-ware, 1697; hard porcelain, 1766. 
 
 Meissen (Saxony). The first place where hard porce¬ 
 lain has been manufactured in Europe (1709); factory 
 flourished most from 1731 to 1756, under the auspices of 
 August the Second, King under the name of August the 
 Third. After the Seven Years’ war, Frederick the Great 
 pillaged the factory, secured and conveyed to his factory at 
 Berlin the finest pieces and models, not forgetting the artists 
 themselves. In 1759, during the war between Prussia and 
 Austria, that site having been transformed into a battle-field, 
 the works, including all the records, were again destroyed. 
 
 Metched (Persia). Manufactory of earthen-ware. 
 
 Minton. See Stoke-upon-Trent. 
 
 Modena (Italy). Ceramic centre; renowned for its 
 great painters. 
 
 Monte-Lupo (Italy). Brown varnished clay, deco¬ 
 rated in relief work. XVIIth century. 
 
 Montpellier (Herault, France). Earthen-ware. 1755 - 
 
 Moscow (Russia). Hard porcelain. 1784. 
 
 Murrhins. Name given to vases made famous by 
 their antiquity. At first considered as Chinese porcelain ; 
 they proved to be carved out of a transparent stone. 
 
 Nancy (Meurthe, France). Earthen-ware factory; 
 also biscuit groups, statuary. 1774 t0 present day. 
 
 Nankin (China). Very ancient manufactories of hard 
 porcelain. 
 
 Naples or Capo-di-Monte (Italy). Finely decorated 
 
A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 89 
 
 earthen-ware, XVIth century; soft porcelain, 1736-1821; 
 under the protection of Charles the Second. 
 
 Nevers (Nievre, France). Earthen-ware, 1365. imi¬ 
 tation of antique wares. 
 
 Niederwiller (France). Old ceramic factories; earthen¬ 
 ware, 1754; biscuit and hard porcelain, 1794. 
 
 Nuremberg (Germany). Manufactory of enamelled 
 clay; lead enamel, 1300; tin enamel, 1400; soft porce¬ 
 lain, 1712. 
 
 Oiron (Deux-Sevres, France). Remarkable earthen¬ 
 ware products, erroneously termed Henri the Second. 
 
 Orleans (Loiret, France). Hard and soft porcelain ; 
 some pieces were painted by Le Brun. 1668-1808. 
 
 Ota. Yellow pottery, resembling Satzuma, dotted with 
 black ; flesh-colored heads, encircled with gold. 
 
 Owari or Awary. Japanese porcelain, decorated in 
 blue, colors and gold; heavy gloss of celadon enamel; 
 delicate coloring. 
 
 Padrone (Italy). Earthen-ware, 1500 to the XVIIth 
 century. 
 
 Palissy (Bernard de). Born in Agen, France, in 
 1510. Apprenticed at glass-making and glass-painting 
 by trade, he devoted himself specially to the perfecting of 
 the enamelling art, experimenting for sixteen years, 
 until the most satisfactory results were obtained. He 
 wrote a most thrilling history of his labors, sacrifices 
 a^id sufferings during the progress of his researches. His 
 perseverance was at last rewarded, and fame, honors and 
 independence were bestowed upon him. But such a 
 noble and energetic temper could not submit to fanatical 
 religious persecution, and he emphatically manifested before 
 Henri the Third his determination to die in Protestantism. 
 Imprisoned in the Bastille, he ended his busy and useful 
 career in his ninetieth year. Ceramist at Saintes, 1 535 - 
 
 Paris (France). The manufactory of potteries in that 
 city is said to have been contemporary with its occupation 
 by the Romans. During the Xllth and XIVth centuries, 
 unvarnished articles of baked earth were made. Within 
 the XHIth, enamelled pottery was started, and earthen¬ 
 ware was first made in 1664. Ancient porcelain makes 
 were classified according to the seat of the factories : 
 Faubourg St. Denis (Count of Artois protection); Fan- 
 
go 
 
 A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 bourg St. Antoine (Morelle, director); La Courtille (Locre, 
 director) ; Rue Thiroux, surnamed “ Porcelaine a la 
 Reine;” Rue de Bondy (Duke of Angouleme protec¬ 
 tion); Pont-aux-Choux (Duke of Orleans protection); 
 Barriere de Reuilly (Chanon, director) ; Rue de Crussul 
 (Potter, director) ; Fabrique du Petit Carousel. 
 
 Pavia (Italy). Manufactory of brown earthen-ware. 
 1690. 
 
 Persia. Ceramic centre for earthen-ware and soft 
 porcelain; industry imported from the Chinese. 
 
 Pesaro (Italy). Earthen-ware, pearl reflection. 1500. 
 
 Petersburg (Russia). Important hard porcelain fac¬ 
 tory, 1744; Imperial manufactory under the reign of 
 Paul the First. 1796-1801. 
 
 Pirkenhammer (Austria). Also termed Carlsbad; 
 the most important of the Austrian porcelain factories; 
 founded in 1802 by two artisans from Saxony, and bought 
 from them by Christian fisher, of Erfurt, 1818 ; it was so 
 successfully managed that it is ranked at the head of Aus¬ 
 tria’s manufactories. 
 
 Pise (Italy). Earthen-ware. XVth century. 
 
 Plymouth (England). Factory started by Cookworthy; 
 first production of hard porcelain in England. 1760. 
 
 Popoff. Ceramist at Moscow, Russia. 
 
 Porcelain. Artificial substance produced by the mix¬ 
 ture of a special sand called feldspath, with an infusible 
 white clay, called silicate of alumina or kaolin. The dif¬ 
 ference between the hard and soft porcelain consists in the 
 proportion of the two above ingredients; the hard poice- 
 lain containing more of the fusible material, requires a 
 greater heat for its baking, say 4000° Fahrenheit, or about 
 that of silver melting, maintained for about fort)' houis. 
 Some makers add to the above substances soapstone, bone, 
 sparry gypsum, or flint, calcined and ground, and some¬ 
 times imperfect white pieces of china broken and reduced 
 to powder. Stone-ware is made of clay and flint; its body 
 is still more dense and compact, and the glaze that covers 
 it is not absolutely necessary. Reaumur, in his experiments, 
 tried to harden the glass and to give it some opacity ; while 
 Bottcher succeeded in rendering the stone-ware more 
 fusible and more transparent. Both were theoretically 
 correct. See Soft Porcelain. 
 
A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 9 1 
 
 Porcelain Tower. Building of octagonal shape, erected 
 at Nan-king. It is nine stories high, or about 330 feet; 
 its entire surface is covered with porcelain tiles of five dif¬ 
 ferent colors. Although erected more than 400 years ago, 
 it has withstood all the alternations of seasons and every 
 variety of weather, without exhibiting the smallest symp¬ 
 tom of deterioration. Finished in 1431, it took nineteen 
 years to build it; its cost amounted to $3,750,000. De¬ 
 stroyed in the insurrection of 1862. 
 
 Portland or Barberine vase. Specimen of antique 
 glass work that ornamented the Barberine palace for two 
 hundred years. Subsequently bought by the Duchess of 
 Portland, it is generally known as the Portland vase. It 
 was found about the middle of the sixteenth century, in 
 the tomb of Alexander Severus, who died in the year 235. 
 The body of this vase, at first supposed to be of porcelain, 
 is made of deep blue glass, ornamented with white opaque 
 figurines, which are designed and sculptured in the style 
 of cameos with a degree of skill truly admirable. Wedg¬ 
 wood paid four hundred pounds for the modeling of one 
 copy. He executed fifty pieces, for each of which he ob¬ 
 tained but fifty pounds, a price insufficient to cover his ex¬ 
 penses. 
 
 Rauenstein (Germany). Hard porcelain. 1760. 
 
 Ravena (Italy). Earthen-ware. XVtli century. 
 
 Rhodes (Asia-Minor). Earthen-ware ; sometimes called 
 Persian. XVIIIth century. 
 
 Rimini (near Ancone, Italy). Earthen-ware. 1535- 
 
 Rochelle, la (France). Earthen-ware manufactory in 
 operation from T705 to 1735; started afresh, 1743. 
 
 Rockingham (England). Earthen-ware, 1757; porce¬ 
 lain, 1807. 
 
 Rouen (France). Very ancient centre of earthen-ware 
 productions; floor tiles, 1542; importation of the industry 
 by workmen from Holland, Nevers, and Italy, 1641 ; soft 
 porcelain, 1647. 
 
 Rudolstadt (Thuringia). Hard porcelain. 1758. 
 
 Sagonte (Murviedro). Famous antique potteries. 
 
 Saint-Cloud (France). Centre of manufactories; 
 earthen-ware, 1688; knowledge of soft porcelain imported 
 from Saxony, 1702. 
 
 Samian-ware. English antiquarians give that name 
 
92 
 
 A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 to an ancient kind of fine Roman pottery of a brilliant 
 red, comparable to the remarkable article made at Samos. 
 Greece, 900 B. C. 
 
 Sarreguemines (Mozelle, France). Fine earthen* 
 ware factory. 1769 to present day. 
 
 Satzuma. Very ancient pottery. Remarkable for the 
 elaborateness and the finish of the decoration. The mod¬ 
 ern Kioto is an imitation of its wares. 
 
 Savone (Italy). Earthen-ware. XVIIth century. 
 
 Saxony (Germany). See Bottcher, Dresden, Messein. 
 
 Sceaux (Seine, France). Fine earthen-ware, 1747; soft 
 porcelain, I 7 S°- 
 
 Seville (Spain). Fine earthen-ware or soft porcelain, 
 1768; hard porcelain, 1770; also pipe clay. 
 
 Sevres (France). See Vincennes. The constant in¬ 
 crease of the demand for the porcelain manufactured at 
 Vincennes necessitated removal to- a better location, and 
 in 1754 the erection of the present large factory was begun, 
 the construction having required two years. The two sorts 
 of porcelain were manufactured till 1804. Louis the Fif¬ 
 teenth having, in 176°; bought the rights of the Vincennes 
 proprietors, gave a great impulse to the new works, and 
 Madame de Pompadour having declared herself the pro¬ 
 tectress of the ceramic art, the supremacy of the royal 
 factory was soon recognized through the whole of Europe. 
 A royal ordinance, published in 1766 and 1 enewed in 1784, 
 forbade all other manufacturers to use any gold in the deco¬ 
 ration of their wares, with the exception of the privileged 
 factory. After the war of 1814, all the stock found at 
 Sevres being abandoned to auction sale, unprincipled pat¬ 
 ties bought great quantities of the pieces, and by the ap¬ 
 plication of chemicals were able to remove the enamel 
 and decoration; then, ornamenting the pieces again, ac¬ 
 cording to the oldest patterns, and selling them as ancient 
 makes, scandalously acquired fortunes. To detect these 
 frauds necessitates special study and an accurate knowledge 
 of the shapes corresponding to the different epochs. 1 he 
 finest collections of Sevres-ware are to be found in Eng¬ 
 land; that possessed by the queen, in Buckingham palace, 
 bought by George the Fourth during the revolutionary 
 events, exceeding by far all the others. 
 
 Shelton (England). Manufactory of brown and white 
 
A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 93 
 
 stone-ware, started by Thomas Miles, 1685 ; red and white 
 stone-ware, 1743; Wedgwood imitations, 1770. 
 
 Shiba. See Awata. 
 
 Shinsha. Cream-colored porcelain, fancy shapes, imi¬ 
 tations from nature, dark green enamel, pieces soiled wiih 
 brown mud. 
 
 Soft Porcelain. Invented in 1695. This sort of porce¬ 
 lain can support, without softening, a greater heat than suf¬ 
 fices to melt glass. It is semi-transparent, has a vitreous 
 fracture, and returns a clear sound when struck with a 
 hard body. Harder but not so brittle as glass, it bears 
 without injury sudden and considerable changes of tem¬ 
 perature. Can be scratched with a steel blade. Exten¬ 
 sively manufactured at Sevres, the making of it was aban¬ 
 doned, the proportion of arsenic entering its composition 
 having proved hurtful to the workmen employed. 
 
 Spode. Ceramist at Stoke-on-Trent, England, 1784. 
 
 Staffordshire (England). The potter’s art in that 
 country is supposed to date from its invasion by Romans; 
 Burslem was the first noted centre of manufacture, 1686; 
 made famous by the discoveries of Wedgwood, six 
 different specimens of pottery being brought to notice 
 between 1760 and 1762. 
 
 Stockholm (Sweden). Earthen-ware. 1770. 
 
 Stoke-upon-Trent (England). Ceramic centre cele¬ 
 brated for its great potters: Spode, 1784; Minton, 1791 ; 
 Minton’s son, 1837, fine earthen-ware; also Copeland’s 
 Parian marble. 
 
 Strasburg (France). Manufacture of clay pipes, 1709; 
 earthen-ware goods, 1721. 
 
 Swinton (England). Earthen-ware and porcelain fac¬ 
 tory erected by the Marquis of Rockingham, 1757. Bought 
 by Malpass in 1765, and sold to Thomas Bingley, 1807. 
 
 Talavera-de-la-Rena (Spain). Enamelled potteries, 
 XVIth century. 
 
 Three Porcelain Bottles. Trade-mark of a large 
 Delft pottery factory, founded by Jacobus Pynacker, 1672. 
 
 Three Bells. Trade-mark of another Delft manufac¬ 
 tory, started by the widow Simon de Mesch, 1671. 
 
 Tokey or Tokio. See Awata. 
 
 Tournay (Belgium). Earthen-ware, 1650; soft porce. 
 lain, 1751. 
 
94 
 
 A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 Tsou-Tchi. Japanese porcelain. 
 
 Urbin or Urbania (Italy). Name given by the pope 
 Urban VIII. to the town of Castel-Durante. Earthen¬ 
 ware and majolica. XVIIth century. 
 
 Urbino (Italy). Earthen pottery, 1482. 
 
 Valence (Spain). Earthen pottery with metallic re¬ 
 flection, 1528. 
 
 Valenciennes (Nord, France). Earthen-ware, 1735; 
 soft and hard porcelain, 1785. 
 
 Venice (Italy). Earthen-ware, 1535; soft and hard 
 porcelain, 1740-1812. 
 
 Vienna (Austria). Porcelain factory, founded by a 
 refugee from Meissen, 1720; under the protection of 
 Marie-Theresa and Joseph the Second. An imperial porce¬ 
 lain manufactory, specially devoted to purely artistic goods. 
 
 Vincennes (Seine, France). In 1735 a fugitive 
 workman, transmitted from St. Cloud, a place where 
 some common productions were already made in 
 1695, to Chantilly, the art of making soft porcelain. 
 About the year 1730, Macquer, following the instructions 
 of Reaumur, first produced the fine porcelain to which 
 Sevres owes its great renown \ a singular circumstance 
 having led to the discovery at St. Yriex, a village near 
 Limoges, of the earth corresponding to the pe-tun-tse and 
 Kaolin of the Chinese. In 1740, the Dubois brothers 
 were charged by the government to erect a special 
 laboratory in the works, but their incompetency and mis¬ 
 conduct caused their dismissal, and Gravand took their 
 place. In 1745, Charles Adam, a noted sculptor, obtained 
 a monopoly for thirty years, and having secured as assist¬ 
 ants, the best chemists, artists and painters, piogiessed 
 rapidly in the manufacture. See Sevres. 
 
 Vista-Alegre (Portugal). Hard porcelain. XVIth 
 
 century. . 
 
 Wallendorf (Saxony). Hard and soft porcelain. 
 
 1762. 
 
 Wedgwood (Josiah). One of the greatest English 
 ceramists. From a very low path in life, and without 
 education, he elevated himself to the highest rank of 
 science, merit, honor and integrity. While at Burslem, 
 England, he invented the china specialty bearing his name 
 also the special cream-colored article called queen’s-ware. 
 
A HELP TO THE MEMORY. 
 
 95 
 
 He visited the once celebrated factory of M esse in in 1790, 
 and confident that it could be restored to its previous ac¬ 
 tivity, offered to pay yearly 3000 pounds sterling for the 
 privilege of running it himself; but his offer was refused. 
 He created in England one of the most prosperous ceramic 
 establishments. Born in Burslem, Staffordshire, I 73 °> 
 died at the age of sixty-five. 
 
 ^Worcester (England). This well known factory was 
 founded in 1751 by Doctor Wall, the inventor of the 
 printing process of decoration. The first articles made 
 were white and blue, in imitation of the Nankin wares; 
 but soon after, the Japanese, Dresden, and Sevres makes 
 were copied; also Limoges enamel imitations. 
 
 Yarmouth (England). Ancient ceramic manufactory ; 
 also Wedgwood imitations. 
 
 Zurich (Switzerland). The making of earthen-ware in 
 that country is traced to the XVIIth century. The making 
 of hard porcelain dates from 1760. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 IX. 
 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 
 XII. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 XIV. 
 XV. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 XVII. 
 XVIII. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 XX. 
 
 XXL 
 
 XXII. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 (96) 
 
 TAGE 
 
 Cleaning the pieces. 5 
 
 Fine and coarse work. 10 
 
 A cement not yet discovered. 12 
 
 Cementing work. *5 
 
 Different cements—Prepared glue. 17 
 
 Silicate of potash. .. 1 9 
 
 Gum arabic or acacia. 22 
 
 Gum adragant. 22 
 
 Gum shellac... 2 4 
 
 Liquid gum shellac—Some substitutes. ... 3° 
 
 Chinese cement. 3 1 
 
 Putty mending. 3 2 
 
 Fish glue. 33 
 
 To cement shell, ivory, vulcanite, etc. ... 35 
 
 Some odd compounds.. 35 
 
 Filling up small openings. 37 
 
 Supplying larger pieces. 39 
 
 Drilling and riveting. 43 
 
 A powerful but delicate tool. 49 
 
 Colors, varnishes and brushes. 53 
 
 Different modes of painting. 5 6 
 
 About the grounds—Different whites- 59 
 
 Polishing painted surfaces. 63 
 
 Regilding work—Metallic reflections- 64 
 
 Biscuit or bisque—Parian marble. 67 
 
 Cloisonne and enamel work.. • 69 
 
 Bohemian or Venetian glass—Cut crystal.. 72 
 Metal rings, mountings and bronze orna¬ 
 ments . 73 
 
 Terra-cotta and clay work.. ._. 75 
 
 Repairing, painting and bronzing on plaster 
 
 castings. 7 s 
 
 Hints about cleaning delicate ornaments. . 80 
 A help to the memory. ° 2 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

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