8b ND 1500 M94 1880 I i/ A HANDBOOK FOR 'AiNTERS & ART STUDENT ON THE USE OF ODOURS ETC. MUCKLEY APPROVED BY THh SCIENCE AND ART DEPARTMENT c/d CAT iT] A HAND BOOK ON THE USE OF COLOURS ETC . -V * . V , i . 1 ; A HANDBOOK FOR PAINTERS AND ART STUDENTS ON THE CHARACTER AND USE OF COLOURS, THEIR PERMANENT OR FUGITIVE QUALITIES, AND THE VEHICLES PROPER TO EMPLOY. ALSO SHORT REMARKS ON THE PRACTICE OF PAINTING IN OIL AND WATER COLOURS. WILLIAM J. MUCKLEY, AUTHOR OF THE ‘MANUAL OF ARTISTIC ANATOMY , 7 ETC. LONDON : BA ILL IEEE, TINDALL, AND COX, 20, KING WILLIAM STREET, STRAND. 1880. {All Rights Reserved,) Mr )GOO ■ . m± TO EDWARD J. POYNTER, ESQ., R.A , THIS HANDBOOK FOR THE USE OF PAINTERS, AND ART STUDENTS, IS VERY RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. June 9th, 1880. Extracts from a Letter written by E. J. ROY NT Ell, Esq., R.A., to the Author, and printed by permission. My dear Sir, I have read through your work on Colours, etc., which, as being the result of your own experience, cannot but be of great value both to students and painters. The colours which you recommend are those which I have been in the habit of using, and though the palette thus composed is limited, it comprises colours brilliant enough for most purposes, as may be seen in your own liower-groups. It cannot be too strongly impressed on students of paint- ing, that the use of such brilliant colours as orange vermilion, for instance, in flesh-painting, is not only dangerous, from the uncertainty attending the preparation of the pigment, but unnecessary, and destructive, moreover, of the purity and delicacy of the tints ; it is worse than useless to employ a bright colour which has to be qualified by an admixture of other pigments to break its harshness, when a simple earth would be sufficient for the purpose. As a rule, purity is lost, rather than gained, by the use of colours more brilliant than is necessary. A]1 your remarks on vehicles, habits of painting, etc., seem to me admirable. Yours very truly, EDWARD J. POYNTER. 28, Albert Gate, S.W. PREFACE. K There have been several books published in this country intended to instruct the painter in the proper use of colours and vehicles, etc. These works have not had the consideration which they have deserved, being I suspect, either too diffuse or not sufficiently ready and practical for the painter’s use. Be this as it may, many pictures produced at the present time are undergoing rapid changes, some- times even before they leave the studio of the painter, so that a few years hence, it is pro- bable little will remain of their original beauty. This clearly shows how small an amount of know- ledge has been acquired by the painter of the chemistry of colours, their stable or fugitive cha- racter, their action on each other, or the vehicles necessary to convey them to canvas. The present handbook is intended to supply, in a viii Preface. ready and concise form, what is required in this direction. The durability of a picture ought to be a matter of conscientious consideration with every painter. If he does not employ ordinary precaution in order to prevent or modify those changes which may take place in his works, sooner or later after they leave his hands, he is to a great extent responsible, if not culpable. The purchasers of pictures rarely ever consider this question. It therefore becomes all the more imperative on the painters part, that he should thoroughly deal with it as a necessary part of his education and practice, or in ignorance he may lay himself open to the charge of supplying to his client that which he did not bargain for. It is frequently discovered that the work which has been so well paid for in many cases, is visibly deteriorating every year, and almost every day. Suggestions are offered in this manual on various other matters connected with the practice of art. They have grown out of a long intercourse with students, all of whom required information of the kind, not only at the beginning of their career, but for some time afterwards. IX Preface . — Short remarks have also been made on the methods of painting as practised by the old masters, which may perhaps lead students to investigate, and afterwards to form systems of working for them- selves. The various causes of the deterioration of pictures have been pointed out, and the remedy suggested. Hints are given on the treatment pictures ought to receive after they leave the hands of the painter, as they are often ruined from want of a little know- ledge of this kind. In preparing this handbook the author has referred to Field s ‘ Chromotography,’ the works on colours and varnishes, etc., by Cennino Cennini, Bouvier, Merimee, Chevreul, Tingry, and others, as well as personally to some of the best chemists in the country ; but very much of the information offered, both on the preparation of colours and vehicles, and the use of them, is from the personal investigation, experiments, and practice of the writer. W. J. M. CONTENTS PAGE PIGMENTS, AND THEIR RELATION TO EACH OTHER - - 1 PERMANENT COLOURS - 2 USELESS PIGMENTS 26 SEMI-PERMANENT COLOURS - - 28 A LIST OF PERMANENT COLOURS, WHICH MAY BE USED EITHER SEPARATELY OR IN COMBINATION WITH EACH OTHER 35 A LIST OF PERMANENT COLOURS FOR THE MOST PART UN- NECESSARY - - - - 36 A LIST OF COLOURS OF THE SECOND ORDER OF PERMANENCE 36 FUGITIVE COLOURS - - - - . - - - 37 VEHICLES OR MEDIUMS; THEIR USE IN COMBINATION WITH COLOURS 40 TURPENTINE 47 OIL OF SPIKE LAVENDER - 48 PREPARATION OF COLOURS, MATERIALS, ETC. - - - 49 THE MIXING OF COLOURS - - - . - - - 51 THE NATURE OF COLOURS - - - - - - - 53 SUPERIORITY OF PANELS TO CANVAS 58 DAMAGE TO OIL PAINTINGS BY DAMP AND GAS - - - 62 COLOUR OF GROUND FOR CANVAS 04 Xll Contents, PAGE BRUSHES 65 CARE AND TREATMENT OF PICTURES 67 VARNISHING PICTURES, ETC. 68 ASPHALTUM AND FUGITIVE COLOURS 69 FISSURES ----- 71 THE PAINTING-ROOM 72 METHODS OF PAINTING - - - - - - - 74 IMITATION OF SURFACES - - - - - - - 77 GENERAL REMARKS ON THE PRACTICE OF PAINTING - - 78 BAD EFFECTS OF SCUMBLING - - - - - - 81 IMPASTO IN OIL PAINTING ------- 84 RAPID SKETCHING - - - - - - - - 85 RE-PAINTING --------- 91 WATER-COLOUR PAINTING - - - - - - 92 SOUND ELEMENTARY STUDY THE FOUNDATION OF ALL SUCCESS 97 A HANDBOOK FOR PAINTERS AND ART-STUDENTS ON THE USE OF COLOURS, VEHICLES, ETC * PIGMENTS, AND THEIR RELATION TO EACH OTHER. For the purpose of enabling the painter to acquire readily the knowledge relating to the materials to be used by him, the information in this handbook has been condensed to as few pages as possible. The permanent colours have been the most fully described. With them, nearly everything in nature may be imitated. It was not necessary to enter so much into detail with the others, except as a caution. Those colours which are of the second order of permanence, have been merely referred to. Those which are absolutely unsuitable for painting, from their fleeting nature, etc., have been simply named. There could be no object in making further * This manual was in the press, some weeks before Mr. Holman Hunt read his paper on “ Painters’ Materials,” at the Society of Arts, April 21st, and its appearance at the present time is purely a coincidence. 1 2 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students . reference to them, for so far as the painter is con- cerned, they are worse than useless to him, and the preparations alluded to as fugitive should be strictly avoided. PERMANENT COLOURS. The colours which may be safely employed by the painter, and which are the most eligible and perma- nent, are given in the following list : WHITES. Previous to the discovery of oil-painting, the whites in use were chiefly pipe-clay and whiting, combined with animal glue size. These substances were employed in the composition of grounds, and they were also mixed with pigments, being at the same time nearly imperishable. When painting in oil was first practised in the fourteenth century, White lead does not appear to have been introduced as a pigment, but only as a dryer. At this time the hard white ground of whiting and size, with which the panel was prepared, served for all purposes of light in the picture. The oil colours were laid on it, much in the manner of the pure water-colour painting of our own time. On the whiteness of this ground, depended the brilliancy of the colours and the work generally. This process is very visible in all the early works produced with Permanent Colours. 3 oil-colours. The frequent introduction of white lead as a pigment, came immediately afterwards, and from that time to the present, it has always been employed in oil-painting, in connection with works of art. The white obtained from Zinc, is of more modern discovery. White lead, and Zinc White, when properly pre- pared, have been found sufficient to supply all the whites that are necessary for oil-painting. They break up stable pigments into tints very satisfac- torily, giving body to them all ; and used alone, they may always be relied on. Zinc White , and Flake White. The former is a little wanting in body, but is more permanent than flake white. In winter time, Zinc White does not dry well, un- less assisted, and in warm weather it also requires a little help. When well prepared, it is a very eligible pigment, and may be always used, either pure or in combination with other pigments, with perfect safety. Whites made from lead, such as Flake White, were always employed by the old painters in oil-colour. When well prepared, and the conditions have been favourable, Flake White has been found to be per- manent. It appears, however, to lose its opacity by age. When painted thinly over a dark surface, this pecu- 1—2 4 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. liarity becomes very visible in a few years. The dark parts show through the white lead more and more as time goes on, until at last the very thin passages of white disappear altogether. Impure air, and sulphuretted hydrogen, turn white lead to a dirty brown in a short time. Whites from lead should never be used in water- colour painting. In many of the drawings by the old painters, patches of black occur, where the high lights were intended to be. This is due to the use of white lead. YELLOWS. No permanent true yellow pigment appears to have been discovered by the ancients suitable for the painters use. Throughout the middle ages, all the yellows introduced were fugitive, and although many yellow pigments are now offered by the artists colourman, no thoroughly satisfactory one has yet been discovered. It has been supposed that the early painters in oil had bright permanent yellow and orange hues. It must be confessed that these colours in old pic- tures, sometimes look rather bright, but this is chiefly in consequence of the dark and sunken con- dition of the surrounding colours. If examples of pure yellow and orange hues, be actually compared with the most perfect colours of the same kind in old pictures, it will be found that these latter are so dull, that Naples Yellow, or Yellow Ochre and Permanent Colours . 5 white, might have supplied the yellow, and the same colours, with Vermilion, produced the orange hues alluded to. Lemon Yellow has the reputation of being perma- nent. It is the only colour of the kind on which we are at all able to rely ; and this varies so often both as to purity of colour and density, that it will rarely ever serve the purpose of a primary. It should therefore be regarded with suspicion. The transparent vegetable yellows have been used during the last three centuries, in combination with blues, to form greens. In all cases these yellows have flown away, and only the blue colour with which they were originally mixed has remained. This change is best seen in fruit and flower pictures, and more especially in the works by Van Os, and Van Huysum. The opaque yellows from arsenic, used at various periods since the introduction of oil-painting, have nearly all gone ; but not in the manner of the trans- parent pigments, for the arsenic yellows have injured all colours w r ith which they have come in contact. ORANGE HUES. Bright and stable orange pigments were also un- known in ancient times. Those used in the middle ages were unsuitable for painting, whether mixed in oil or distemper vehicle. The most permanent that could be made were produced by mixing the ochres 6 Handbook jor Painters and Art-Students. or Raw Sienna with Vermilion. The hues so obtained were not very bright, but they have proved stable. In modern times, down to the discovery of the oranges from cadmium, and Orange Vermilion, no good orange colour had been found out. These two last pigments when well made, and unadul- t erated, resist the usual unfavourable influences, and are of the greatest advantage to the painter. The orange hues prepared from arsenic, and em- ployed during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and even later, have nearly all turned either to dirty brown or black. When Yellow or Indian lakes have been mixed with Rose Madders, to produce orange hues, they have become fugitive, leaving the madders as though nothing had been combined with them. YELLOWS AND ORANGE HUES. Aureolin. Lemon Yellow. Naples Yellow. Yellow Madder. Yellow Ochre. Transparent Golden Ochre. Paw Sienna. Burnt Sienna. The Orange Cadmiums. Orange Vermilion. Fields Orange Vermilion. Aureolin — this is a new colour, having been dis- covered only a few years ago, and is said by chemists to be very permanent. It is of most use when mixed with white and other colours, and landscape-painters will find it very serviceable. When glazed over white a pleasant tint is produced. Lemon Yellow , is the only yellow the painter Permanent Colours . 7 can employ with safety. It appears to be very difficult to make of a good colour, being nearly always soiled when taken from the tube. When prepared with due care, it is looked upon as per- manent, and is then very pure in colour. Lemon Yellow is not dense in body, therefore it is weak when combined with other colours, and soon over- powered by them. Naples Yellow , as originally manufactured, was composed of lead and antimony. It was then per- manent ; but when mixed with Yellow Ochre, or with any colour in which iron was present, it was not stable. It was also necessary to avoid the use of the steel palette knife, and use an ivory one, when mixing Naples Yellow with other colours. In enamel-painting it was a useful preparation. Naples Yelloiv, as now made, is stable under all ordinary conditions. Lead is said to be no longer employed in its preparation, zinc having taken the place of it. But Naples Yellow, as now sold, is oftener a combination of deep Cadmium and White lead. This colour is valuable in flesh-painting, and more especially in the highest lights. Yellow Madder , is of a brownish hue, but very rich and transparent, also fairly stable. It is used solely as a glazing colour. With Yiridian it fur- nishes an excellent hue for deep green shadows, and would be serviceable in landscape-painting. It needs help in drying. 8 Handbook Jor Painters and Art-Students. Yellow Ochre, is an oxide of iron, found in a natural state, and varying occasionally in the brightness of its hue. It is quite permanent in itself, and may be safely used with all other durable colours. When mixed with the Vermilions, or Light red, it is most valu- able in flesh-painting. The old masters used Yellow Ochre to a great extent. Transparent Golden Ochre, is of the same nature as Yellow Ochre, but brighter and more transparent. It is well suited to landscape-painting. Raw Sienna, is an earth, owing its colour to the presence pf iron, and is found native. It is semi- transparent, and perfectly stable. It is very useful to the landscape-painter, and the painter of foliage. With Viridian, and the Green oxides of chromium, it furnishes a variety of sombre but beautiful greens, which are also quite reliable as to stability. When used in backgrounds, either with Terre Verte or Vandyke brown, in a semi-mixed state, it produces an agreeable effect. Raw Sienna, does not dry well in winter time without assistance. Burnt Sienna, is the earth above referred to, burnt to redness. It is of the same character as Raw Sienna, and of equal permanence, and dries much better. Orange Cadmiums , are sulphides of the metal Permanent Colours. 9 cadmium. These pigments are productions of the present century, and we are, therefore, not very well acquainted with their habits in paintings. They are said by chemists to be quite durable, when care- fully made and free from adulteration. For beauty and depth of hue, no other orange pigment ap- proaches them. With white they produce a scale of beautiful tints, and often supply the place of Naples Yellow. Cadmium Orange , is the only opaque and perma- nent orange colour to be obtained. When employed in tints, Zinc White should be used with it, although it is looked upon as stable when mixed with Flake White, or any of the lead whites. Like all the rest of the cadmium pigments, it is a preparation of that metal with sulphur. The degrees of heat to which it may be subjected, alter the colour from a lemon yellow down to a deep red. Orange Vermilion , like all the other varieties of Vermilion, is a sulphuret of mercury. It is a durable pigment when unadulterated and properly prepared, inclining to red rather than yellow. With white it goes well into tint, and is a good dryer. In deli- cate flesh-painting it may be used advantageously. Field's Orange Vermilion , is a preparation much the same as the above, only manipulated more care- fully. It is perhaps a little brighter in colour. 10 Handbook for Painters and Art- Students. REDS. Lasting Reds, both bright and dull, have been in use during all periods of art. Vermilion, and the reds from iron, have been employed from the earliest times down to our own. In the middle ages, the Madders were much resorted to, and their permanent character has warranted the use of them down to the present day. Some of the Madders to be seen in the old paint- ings of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries are still very vivid. The Madders and the Vermilions are the only red pigments which appear to have kept their original brilliancy. They are seen in the greatest perfection in old works when used on distemper grounds, but which are entirely out of keeping with the rest of the picture. This is in consequence of the faded condition of all the other colours which sur- round them. Many Reds have been added to the old list, but they are either ineligible, or require the greatest care in the use of them. Chinese Vermilion. Vermilion. Scarlet Vermilion. Extract of Vermilion. Venetian Red . Light Red. Red Ochre. Indian Red. Madder Carmine. Rose Madder. Pink Madder. Chinese Vermilion , is of a full red hue, and not at all inclining to orange. It is in itself quite perma- Permanent Colours. 11 nent, and does not interfere with any colours which are not fugitive, when mixed with them. Vermilion , is nearly the same as the pigment above described. Its habits are also the same, and when pure, is quite permanent. Whenever this colour can be used with white, instead of Rose Madder, the tints produced will be more lasting. When, however, Vermilion has been adulterated with the cheap lakes, which is sometimes the case, to give richness, it suffers. Scdrlet Vermilion , is also much like the two pre- ceding colours. It is brighter, and is of a scarlet hue and quite stable when pure. Extract of Vermilion , is the same colour as Scarlet Vermilion, only varying in the name given to it. Venetian Red , is a preparation made by calcining sulphate of iron. It resembles Light Red, but is brighter. When well washed after calcination, it is quite permanent, and may be combined with any other stable colour with impunity. This red is sup- posed to have been much employed by the old Vene- tian painters ; hence its name. Light Red , is Yellow Ochre calcined to redness. It varies in richness according to the brightness of the Yellow Ochre with which it is made. It is much used in flesh-painting, and enters well into combi- nation with all the other stable colours. In itself it is perfectly permanent. Both this and Venetian Red ' are good dryers. 12 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. Red Ochre , is found native. It is not so bright as Venetian and Light Led, and although permanent, is superfluous for the painter s use. Indian Red , is a natural product, and a peroxide of iron. Its body is of great density, and requires more grinding than is usually given to it. It is much used in the shadows of flesh-painting, and is quite permanent. In the course of time it eats through white, or light colours, when thinly painted over it. The whole of these iron reds have been much employed in the works of the old painters, and have remained almost unchanged. Madder Carmine , is the richest and most beautiful of all the lakes,. w 7 hen well prepared and free from adulteration with cochineal. The costliness of this colour induces adulteration, in which case it is not permanent ; but when obtained pure, it will last hundreds of years without undergoing much change. When it is used in tints with white, Zinc White is preferable to Flake White. This, with all the other lakes, requires assistance in drying. Rose Madder, is of the same nature as the last named colour, varying chiefly as to hue. It is of a beautiful rose colour when pure, and may be used for glazing in flesh-painting. When mixed with Zinc White and Naples Yellow, it may also be used for the same purpose. When Lose Madder is carefully Permanent Colours . 13 prepared and pure, it may be considered quite per- manent. Some of the red draperies to be seen in the pictures by Fra Angelico and Hans Memling, as well as those in other works by the ancient masters; are painted with Rose Madder, and the colour does not appear to have either changed or faded. Pink Madder , this is of the same character as Rose Madder, only a weaker preparation. No lakes prepared from cochineal should ever have a place on the palette, as they are all fugitive. Transparent permanent reds are only to be obtained from madder. Copal varnish is the best dryer for madders. BLUES. The most perfect of all the primaries is the blue obtained from the stone known by the name of Ultramarine. It is nearly a pure colour, and quite permanent whether used alone or in tints with white. Before the discovery of this stone, the ancients used blues produced from copper, all of which have turned to a greenish hue. Factitious Ultramarine, and the blues produced from Cobalt, come next to the pure Ultramarine Blue in permanence. All other blues are more or less fleeting. Some of the Cobalt preparations are produced by prolonged and intense heat. Painters who are aware of this, sometimes suppose that this ensures perma- 14 Handbook j or Painters and Art-Students. nence. Such is not the case ; for under certain con- ditions these blues change rapidly. Ultramarine — Genuine Lapis-Lazuli. Brilliant Ultramarine. French Ultrctmarine. Cobalt. Cerulean . Ultramarine — Lapis-Lazuli — is a blue stone, ground to an impalpable powder. It is the most costly of all colours, and its permanence may be thoroughly relied on. The old painters were much in the habit of using it, for even at that early date they were well assured as to its stable character. The greys in flesh were most frequently made with a combination of Ultra- marine and other colours. In the draperies of small works, no doubt it w T as used nearly pure, and has re- mained untarnished until the present time. Ultra- marine varies much in the intensity of its colour ; the deepest portions of the stone being selected for the finest and richest hues in painting. It is the nearest approach to a perfect blue that has been obtained. All other blues have either a purple or a green tendency. The various degrees of colouring matter which the stone is found to possess, give a scale of blues differing in intensity, beginning with the deepest, and ending in the blue known as grey Ultramarine ash. It is a good dryer, and quite as valuable in water-colour painting as it is in oil, working well in both mediums. This stone is found chiefly in China and Thibet. Permanent Colours. 15 Brilliant Ultramarine, sometimes called;Factitious Ultramarine, was discovered by Monsieur Guimet, the French chemist, and prepared in imitation of the genuine blue stone, which it approaches very nearly. This colour is permanent, and really possesses much of the beauty of the Lapis-lazuli ; it is nearly transparent, and as intense as the native colour. When used in glazing, its colour is of a pure blue hue, sometimes perhaps, inclining to purple. To the landscape- painter it is of great use. French Ultramarine , is of the character of Brilliant Ultramarine, but not quite so bright and transparent. Although this colour is a good one, there is hardly any necessity for it on the palette, when either of the two blues already referred to are present. Cobalt Blue, is made from the metal Cobalt ; it is a useful and eligible colour. It varies in tint from those already described, and may be considered per- manent. When used thinly over white, it serves as a glazing colour, but when employed in a body it is opaque. It is a good dryer. Cerulean Blue , is prepared from Cobalt, and is of a greenish hue. Its chief use is in the formation p of greens in combination with any of the yellows ; with Lemon Yellow it produces a bright and beautiful green. It is valuable for painting drapery, and also furnishes useful tints for the landscape-painter. 16 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students . When glazed thinly ever white, it gives a bright an d agreeable colour, and its beauty is then brought fully out. It dries well, and is permanent. Blues from Cobalt are unaffected by strong heat. The writer has long prepared for his own use both Cerulean and other Cobalt blues for painting in enamel, as well as for oil-painting. GREENS. The ancients were acquainted with Terre Yerte, and also with greens produced from copper. The other green hues, which we find on mummy cases, and on the walls of ancient Egyptian buildings, were most likely produced by mixing blues, with such yellow or orange colours, as they had at com- mand. Prussian and Indigo Blues, in combination with the Yellow Lakes, have furnished all the dark trans- parent greens used at least for the last two hundred years. Great changes have taken place in these pigments, being of a fugitive character, and varying in this respect, according to the situations of the works in which they have been present. Numerous greens have been manufactured in more modern times. But until the discovery of the green oxides of chromium, none have proved fully eligible for the painter’s use. Yiridian, and the Transparent Oxide of Chromium, Permanent Colours . 17 sometimes called the Emerald Oxide of Chromium, are very beautiful hues. We are assured that they are permanent, although they are of recent discovery. Should their stability be proved, they will be of much value to the painter’s art. Opaque Green Oxide of Chromium . Transparent Green Oxide of Chromium. Viridian. Terre Verte. The two Chromium Greens here given are pre- pared from the metal chromium, and must not be confounded with greens produced by a mixture of chromate of lead (Chrome Yellow) and Prussian Blue, both of which pigments are semi-fugitive, and ought rarely to be used by the painter. Chromium Green is found in a natural state, but is of a dull hue. That used for painting purposes is usually prepared. The opaque kind is very powerful and dense, and should seldom be used pure. With any of the permanent yellows it mixes in a very friendly way. With Raw Sienna it gives a sombre and semi-transparent green. With Lem on Yellow, a bright and useful colour is pro- duced for painting foliage, and for landscape-painting. White may also be mixed with Chromium to great advantage. Under all conditions it is permanent. Even when subjected to a great heat, its colour is unaffected. The Transparent Oxide of Chromium , is equally 2 18 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. eligible for the painter, and may be modified with the yellows in the same way as the opaque kind. If the landscape-painters of our time, were well acquainted with the merits of the green compounds which may be made by mixing the chromium oxides with the yellows named, they would use them more than they are in the habit of doing, as they meet every necessity, and are not only unchangeable in themselves, bub they do not affect colours that are mixed with them. Viridian, may be looked upon as a new colour. It is transparent when used thinly, and semi-opaque used in a body. Of all the greens, it is the deepest and the richest. To the painter of foliage and the landscape-painter it is most useful, and will furnish, the brightest hues of green which they may require. When combined with Aureolin, and glazed over white it produces a fine colour, and well suited to represent transmitted light through foliage, which is usually very vivid. Viridian dries well, and is said to be unexceptionable as to permanence. This, like the two greens just described, is pre- pared from the metal chromium. Terre Verte , is a green native earth, semi-tran- sparent, and of little body. It is one of the old colours, and consequently was employed by the early painters of different countries. When mixed with Raw Sienna, a fine sombre hue is produced. Permanent Colours. 19 It is of such little density that it should not be mixed with opaque colours, as it would be imme- diately overpowered by them. In landscape-painting it is of much use, and when the painter is able to employ it with other colours in a half mixed state, it produces a pleasant effect. It is a good dryer, and when pure quite permanent. The greens here described, when mixed with the various permanent yellows also referred to, leave nothing to be desired by the landscape-painter with respect to these colours, and should he produce works of a fugitive character, it must be the result for the most part of carelessness, or from the colours themselves being adulterated. PURPLES. In consequence of the many allusions which have been made to the Tyrian Purple of the ancients, it has been supposed that they possessed some bright and permanent pigment of that name. Of this we have no real evidence whatever. That to which reference has been made by ancient writers and others, was most probably, nothing more than a dye or colouring matter for textile fabrics, and altogether unsuited as a pigment for the painter. In the middle ages, a permanent but dull purple pigment was prepared from gold and tin, for colour- ing glass of a ruby tint. This preparation would no doubt be also employed in the early works in dis- 2—2 20 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. temper, and in the illuminated missals of that period, as it was well suited for the purpose. But the cost of producing this purple would prevent its being brought into more general use. The madders and the blues in combination were resorted to, to supply what purple hues were then further required. At the present time we have no addition to the palette, with the exception of Purple Madder, which is rich, but rather dulh Indeed, nothing more is re- quired. For the production of small works, pure Ultramarine and the madders, supply a series of beautiful hues which may always be relied upon. For large pictures, the Factitious Ultramarine, with the madders, will serve all purposes required in the formation of purples. Purple Madder. Burnt Madder. Gold Purple . Rubens Madder. Purple Madder. Of purple pigments this alone is the most useful. It is a costly preparation, but in every respect is perfectly well suited for the palette, being as permanent as any other of the madders. It combines readily with all colours, dries well, and is of good body. A colour nearly approaching Purple Madder, may be made, by mixing Factitious Ultramarine with deep Rose and Brown Madders, and is almost as eligible as Purple Madder. For touches of dark in the deepest Permanent Colours . 21 shadows, it is very useful, both on account of its depth, transparency, and permanency. Burnt Madder , is a brownish purple, but its costli- ness stands iu the way of general use. It is an excellent preparation, and perfectly stable when well made. Gold Purple, called Purple Cassius — it is a preci- pitation of nitro-muriate of gold, by a solution of tin. This colour is expensive, but it is by far the most permanent purple pigment known. The writer has often made this preparation of gold for painting purposes, and it is one of the most beautiful of all experiments, showing the pre- cipitation of a metal from its solution. It is used chiefly in the manufacture of the artificial ruby, and ruby glass. When a very brilliant purple is required, Rose Madder should be glazed over a pure white ground, and when this is dry, either of the Ultramarines referred to, may be glazed on the Madder. This method gives a bright and permanent purple. A dull, opaque, but useful and lasting purple may be made by mixing together Vermilion and the real or Factitious Ultramarine. This compound colour goes well into tint with white. Rubens Madder , is a warm, deep, and transparent russet, very useful both to landscape and figure- painters. It is permanent, but a bad dryer, and 22 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. when employed, copal varnish should be mixed with it. BROWNS. It is a fortunate circumstance that there is no lack of stable and eligible brown pigments, this colour being so much required in the production of paintings, and perhaps even more so than any other. It enters much into the colour of backgrounds, furniture, draperies, and accessories of pictures, the shadows of objects, etc. Sketches, pictures, or engravings, produced en- tirely in brown hues, are generally agreeable, while no other colour whatever, used for the same purposes, could be endured. It has often been thought that the old painters possessed a brown pigment with which we are now unacquainted. This has been inferred from the appearance which the browns in their pictures now present. But it should be remembered that we do not see these pigments as they were when first employed, but only after time has done its work on them, and on the vehicles with which they were always mixed. It is therefore improbable that the old painters were in possession of any brown colour unknown to us. Vandyke Brown . Raw Umber . Burnt Umber . Brown Madder . Amongst all the browns at the command of the Permanent Colours . 23 painter, Vandyke Brown may perhaps be considered the most useful. The Vandyke Brown of former times, and of the days of the painter whose name it bears, was made of an earthy bog brought from Cassel. The Vandyke Brown , of to-day is a bituminous ochre, and nearly resembling the ancient colour of that name. It is permanent, and an excellent glazing colour, for which purpose it is mostly used, and often in combination with other transparent colours. The palette should never be set without it. When employed in a semi-mixed state with Terre Verte, a very pleasing effect is produced. It dries well with a little help. Raw Umber , is a native ochre. It is seldom used alone. In combination with black and white and other colours to form greys, it is valuable. It may also be employed to advantage with the pri- maries, to assist in taking those colours into shadow. In backgrounds and in landscape-painting it is also very useful. It is perfectly stable, and a good dryer. Burnt Umber, is deeper than Raw Umber in con- sequence of being calcined. Its colour inclines to a red brown, and is semi-opaque. Mixed with cooler colours, it forms an agreeable hue. With some painters it finds much favour, but is rarely ever 24 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. employed alone. It is very permanent, and a good dryer. Brown Madder , is another production of the madder root, and of great depth, transparency, and beauty. It is a good dryer and permanent. Both the landscape and figure painter find this colour of the greatest use. In water-colour painting it is much employed and with excellent effect. Rubens Brown , is lighter and yellower than Vandyke Brown. In the dark parts of pictures it will be , found useful. Permanent browns are numerous, as we have pointed out, but those named will be found quite sufficient for the painter's use. GREYS. A number of greys are produced and offered to the painter by the colour- maker, all of which are nearly useless. Greys of all tints can be so easily compounded with white, black, and various other pigments, that there is no necessity for the painter to trouble himself in the least about those offered in commerce. What is more, the greys made by combination in the hands of the artist, will in all probability, be found more stable than those mixed by the colourman. These remarks apply chiefly to the painter in oil. Permanent Colours . 25 To the water-colour painter, Ultramarine ash will be found very useful as well as permanent. BLACKS. Black may be said to be the negation of light and colour, and is capable of giving the greatest value to both. Most of the black pigments used by the ancients were carbonaceous substances, and they were also of a very permanent character. Those of modern times are equally stable. Good colourists have frequently introduced black draperies and furniture into their works for the sake of contrast. When this is judiciously done, it t produces an excellent and telling effect. In the pictures by Rubens, we often see black and yellow brought together. In most of the , fine por- traits by Ravenstein, Rubens, Vandyke, Rembrandt, Valasquez, Antonio More, Moroni and others, the apparel and draperies, &c., are all black and white. The effect is very fascinating, while the contrast w T itli the flesh tints is remarkable. Blue Black and Ivory Black. Blue Black , . is one of the most serviceable of the numerous and good preparations of this kind at the command of the painter. The best is procured from vine twigs burnt to charcoal. When mixed with white, it produces blueish tints, and may be always used in flesh- 26 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. painting, both in the half-tints and in the shadows. Ivory Black, seldom contains much of the matter from which it takes its name. It is made chiefly of bones charred to blackness. When broken up into tints with white, and Raw Umber, a series of neutral greys may be formed, which will be found very useful when painting the shadows and half- tints of white objects. Ivory Black is of greater depth and transparency than Blue Black, and may be used as a glazing colour. With Vandyke Brown it is serviceable when so employed. In these two blacks the painter has all that is necessary of the kind. To add others, would be simply to take up room on his palette to no pur- pose. USELESS PIGMENTS. The following colours are stable, but unnecessary. Those already described in the permanent list will answer the painter’s purpose much better. Never- theless, should he be disposed to employ any of them, he may do so with impunity. WHITES. Blanc d’ Argent, or Silver White. London and Not- tingham White. Useless Pigments. 27 YELLOWS. There are no permanent yellows besides those already referred to. OCHRES. Roman Ochre . Brown Ochre. Oxford Ochre. Stone Ochre. Di Palito, or Light-Yellow Ochre. RED. Cadmium Red. BLUES. New Blue. Blue Ochre. GREENS. Scheeles Green. Cobalt Green. Olive Oxide of Chromium. Olive. purples. * Mars Violet. Cobalt Purple. BROWNS. Mars Brown. Mixed Citrine. Bistre. Bone Brown. Caledonian Brown. Cappah Brown. Chalons Brown. Cologne Earth. Verona Brown. Man- ganese Brown. GREYS. Mineral Grey. Mixed Grey. Neutral Grey. 28 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. BLACKS. Lamp Black. Mixed Black . Black Ochre. Bone Black. Frankfort Black. Manganese Black. Mineral Black. Purple Black. Spanish Black. Black Lead. SEMI-PERMANENT COLOURS. The colours which, may be placed in the second order of permanence and fitness are here given. Under favourable conditions most of them will last a long time. But their tempting hues and inviting appearance have allured many painters to the undue use of them. WHITES. Cremnitz White, is sometimes known as Vienna White. It is very bright in appearance, even sur- passing Flake White, but not so dense in body. It is a preparation of lead. Cadmium White , although an attractive pigment, is liable to change when combined with other colours. It is prepared from the metal Cadmium by precipi- tation and other processes. YELLOWS. Lemon Cadmium {Sulphide of Cadmium), under Semi- Permanent Colours. 29 certain conditions, will keep its colour pretty well, both in oil and water-colour when employed alone. When used in oil with Zinc White, it will also remain unchanged for years, but the white must be perfectly free from adulteration with lead, or a change may set in at once. Lemon Cadmium may be used with Chinese White in water-colour paint- ing, and when protected by glass from foul air and from sunlight, it will last a long time unchanged. Chrome Yellow and Orange, are both chromates of lead. When carefully prepared and mixed with oil, these pigments will remain unaltered for at least a quarter of a century. With white lead they go well into tints, and there is no antagonism between these colours. When, however, the chromates of lead are employed, they should be used as simply as possible. Citron Yellow , known also as Zinc Yellow, both deep and pale, may be called chromates of zinc. Landscape painters are in the habit of using it much, as it combines well with Green Oxide of Chromium and other greens. It is also useful when imitating the yellow parts of foliage, grass, etc. By chemists it is not looked upon as a good colour. It is so comparatively new that painters are not yet fully acquainted with its habits. Deep Zinc Yellow is, however, much more fugitive than the pale kind, as it will frequently change in a few days. 30 Handbook for Painters and Art- Students. Gamboge, is a gum brought from the East, and was long used as a water-colour pigment, before it found a place amongst oil colours. It is fairly stable in water, and does not injure other colours. EEDS. Lakes from Cochineal. In consequence of the richness and beauty of these lakes, painters are ever indulging in their use. When employed in water- colour and excluded from light, the best prepara- tions, such as Carmine and Crimson Lake , will last half a century without much visible alteration. In oil painting, when Crimson Lake is used alone, as a thickish glaze, and kept from strong light, it will not rapidly change. But if combined with white lead, its colour goes immediately. The pigment is obtained from an insect, found in great abundance on a cactus plant in Mexico. Scarlet Lake , has much of the quality of Crimson Lake, and its permanence is affected by the same causes as those which interfere with other lakes of this kind, being also prepared from cochineal. Its colour can be very well imitated by Bose Madder and a little Orange Cadmium, or Aureolin, all of which are stable. Purple Lake , being also a cochineal prepara- tion, is not more permanent than the two lakes already mentioned. This colour is certainly very Semi- Permanent Colours. 31 beautiful, but when it can be so nearly matched by the madders, and additions either of pure, or Factitious Ultramarine, it should not be used. Florentine and Hamburgh Lakes, are of the same character as those already described, and may not be looked on as stable pigments. Indian Lake , appears to be made from a product, both animal and vegetable, which is brought from the East. The colour is rich, deep, and inclined to purple. It is said to be more durable than the cochineal lakes. At the same time, it must be regarded as amongst the semi-permanent pigments. Kermes Lake , is thought by some to be the earliest lake used by the ancient Italian and German masters. No doubt it found its way to Venice early, and was used by Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Titian, and others. In pictures by these masters, we find colours nearly resembling Kermes Lake ; neverthe- less, they appear to have undergone change. BLUES. Smalt , is a blue glass coloured by cobalt, and re- duced to an impalpable powder. Although this preparation will stand a high degree of heat for weeks together, it is not permanent as an oil colour. It is used in enamel painting. Another Cobalt Blue , of the like nature and tint as the above, is prepared from the black oxide of 32 Handbook for Painters and Art- Students. cobalt, ground flint (silica), and a carbonate of tin, exposed to great heat for some days. This prepara- tion is denser than Smalt, but its stability is nearly as doubtful. Prussian Blue , is prepared from iron. It is a very fascinating colour, whether used as a glaze, or in combination with other colours. Most painters, both in oil and water-colour, are in the habit of using it, but it is not durable. In water-colour, when exposed to full light, the richness of its hue soon fades. The works by the early water-colour painters of this country bear sad testimony to this fact. The faded condition of some of the works by Copley Fielding, Varley, Girtin, Prout, Cox, Turner, and others, is chiefly the result of the use of Indigo and Prussian Blue. Antiverp Blue , is of the character of Prussian Blue, a little brighter, and not having so much body. It is not so stable as Prussian Blue. Cyanine Blue , is a compound of Cobalt and Prus- sian Blue. It is a very deep and agreeable colour, but scarcely more permanent than either Antwerp or Prussian Blue, what there is of Cobalt Blue in the compound, being permanent, and the rest is semi- fugitive. Indigo Blue , is an ancient preparation, and a vege- table product. On the whole, it is less durable than Semi- Permanent Colours . 33 Prussian Blue. It is nevertheless much recom- mended and employed by artists, more especially water-colour painters, who make use of it in clouds and distances. The skies and clouds in some of the works of Copley Fielding, and other painters of his time, are evidences of the fleeting character of Indigo Blue, when thus employed. There is little left in the works referred to, but drab masses of cloud forms, the blue tints having departed alto- gether. GREENS. Veronese Green . By some chemists this pigment is pronounced permanent. The writer has found it to be otherwise. If carefully prepared, and when used alone, it may be stable ; but as it contains ingre- dients which attack other colours when combined with it, it is rendered, on the whole, less eligible than Viridian. Emerald Green , is a preparation of copper, very bright, and in colour much unlike all other greens. There is hardly anything in nature resembling it ; employed pure, it will last a long time, but mixed with other colours, it soon changes. I BROWNS. Brown Pink , is a colour much used by water- colour painters. It is a vegetable production, and may be looked upon as a lake. Its colour being of a rich yellow-brown, produces either with Prussian 3 34 Handbook for Painters and Art-Students. or Indigo Blue, fine greens. Brown Pink fades in a few years, leaving the greens, of which it at first formed a part, of a cold and unnatural colour. It should therefore be used as little as possible. In oil-painting it should never be employed. Sepias , both warm and cold are produced from the cuttle-fish, and are very pleasant working colours in water, but fleeting. It has already been remarked that Emerald Green, when well prepared and used alone, will remain un- changed for a long time. The same may be said of the two chromates of lead, yellow and orange. But to ensure such permanence, it is better that these preparations be mixed with Copal varnish before they are employed. These colours should also be further protected by a thin covering of Copal varnish after they are dry. The author has used Orange Chrome in the pre- paration of enamel colours ; and it will bear a full red heat for many hours, in the presence of a vitreous flux, without undergoing any change, beyond the deepening of the colour. This is, however, no test as to the permanence of Orange Chrome, when used either in oil or water-colour. The following is a summary, giving the lists of Permanent, Semi-permanent, and Fugitive colours. These are divided from each other, so that the painter on looking down them, may at once ascer- Permanent Colours . 35 tain the character of any pigment on which he may desire information. A LIST OF PERMANENT COLOURS, WHICH MAY BE USED EITHER SEPARATELY, OR IN COMBINATION WITH EACH OTHER. These colours are as stable for water-colour painting as for oil, with the exception of Flake White (white lead). Chinese, or Zinc white, should always be used in water-colour painting. A WHITES. Chinese White. Zinc White. Flake White (white lead). SSf^ORANGE N' A v % French Ultramarine. -^Cobalt. ^Cerulean. YELLOW 0 Aureolin. * Lemon Yello J Yellow Madde: ^Yellow Ochre. ^ Transparent Gol Raw Sienna. V Burnt Sienna. v ' The Orange Cadmiums.' Orange Vermilion. Naples Yellow. Field’s Orange Vermilion REDS. ^Chinese Vermilion. J Vermilion. Scarlet Vermilion. Extract of Vermilion. v Venetian Red. * Light Red. Red Ochre. ^Indian Red. / Madder Carmine, f Rose Madder. vPink Madder.