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e¥>i??)e?A^e?i!0jSsg??0$^e?A-53S??C^ 
 
 ENCAUSTIC 
 
 PAINTING. 
 
 Q^j^^eis^^sc^6j^s^eis^Qii%^^ 
 
encaustic: 
 
 O R, 
 
 Count Caylus's 
 
 Method of Painting 
 
 In the Manner of the Ancients. 
 
 To which is added 
 
 A fure and eafy Method for Fixing of 
 CRAYONS. 
 
 By J.H. MUNTZ. 
 
 London: Printed for the Author; and 
 A. We b l e y, at the Bible and Crown near 
 Chancery Lane, Holborn, 1760. 
 
:> '6 1 
 
 
T O T H E 
 
 Right Honourable 
 
 Richard Lord Edgcumbe, 
 
 Controller of his M a j e s t y 's 
 Houfehold. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 Should be afraid to 
 offer you the fol- 
 I^^Wi lowing Treatife if I 
 could not flatter myfelf with 
 the hope that its intrinfic 
 
 Merit, 
 
VI Dedication. 
 
 Merit, and the Intention it 
 was writ in, would in your 
 noble and generous Mind 
 CQunterballance the Defefts 
 and Improprieties of Lan- 
 guage, of which, as almoft 
 unavoidable to a Foreigner, it 
 muft of courle be guilty of. 
 
 The fubjeft I prefent you 
 with is known to you long 
 ago ; you law the firft EfTays 
 and Experiments in Encauftic; 
 You was pleafed to approve 
 of them, and to expreis fbme 
 5 Satis-> 
 
Dedication, vii 
 
 Satisfa£l:ion at the lead Pic- 
 ture executed in this manner. 
 With what greater Advantage 
 could I uflier this new Inven- 
 tion into the World, than de- 
 dicating it to You ; to make 
 It known that the Greatest 
 Patron of Arts, and the beft 
 Judge of the Merits of Paint- 
 ing approved of it ? — Count 
 Caylus invented it ; under 
 the Sanation of your Lord- 
 fhip's Name I offer it to the 
 Public, and with a grateful 
 
 Scnfe 
 
Vlii DeDIC ATION. 
 
 Senie for all the Favours and 
 Kindnels You have at all 
 Times fhewn towards me. 
 
 I am, my Lord, 
 
 your Lordfhip's 
 
 moft obedient 
 
 and moft obliged 
 
 humble Servant, 
 
 J. H. MUNTZ. 
 
ENCAUSTIC; 
 
 O R, 
 
 Method of Painting 
 
 In the Manner of the Ancients. 
 
 Relation of my proceed- 
 ings, to reduce this (in- 
 gular invention into a regular 
 fyftem agreeable to reafon, 
 and pradical in itfelf, would 
 be tedious and fuperfluous : 
 To enter upon the procefs 
 without giving the reader fome 
 little account of the matter, 
 would be improper. As fome- 
 thing is required to introduce 
 the reader, and as the books 
 B I muft 
 
2 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 I muft refer to are not in every 
 body's poffeflion, I fliall in lieu 
 of introdu£iio7iy infert the whole 
 as laid before the Royal Soci- 
 ety, — which is as follows. 
 
 Extract of a Letter* 
 From the Abbe Maze as, F. R. S. 
 
 Concerning an ancient Method of Painting. 
 Revived by Count Caylus. 
 
 /^Ount Caylus, a member of 
 ^^ the Academy of Infcrip- 
 tions, had undertaken to ex- 
 plain an obfcure paffage in 
 Pliny the naturalift. This 
 author (whom I have not now 
 before me) fays in fome place 
 of his works, that ^' the anci- 
 ents painted with burnt wax.'* 
 
 and 
 
 ^ Philofoph. Tranfa<5l. vol. xlix. part 2* 
 
Encaujiic Painting. 3 
 
 * and we have it from tra- 
 dition, that pidtures of this 
 kind were very durable. 
 
 B 2 This 
 
 * Though the Abbe does not quote the 
 paflage, one may guefs it muft be the following 
 the count undertook to explain, Pliny lib. xxxv. 
 chap. 1 1. 
 
 " Ceris pingere ac pic^uram inurere quls pri- 
 mus excogitaverit non conftat : quidam Ariftidis 
 inventum putant, poftea confummatum a Prax- 
 itele. Sed aliquanto vetuftiores Encaufticse 
 Pi6luras exftltere, ut Polignoti 5c Nicanoris, & 
 Arcefilai Pariorum. Lyfippus quoque iEginae 
 Picfturae fu^e infcripfit, iviKdjj(nVy quod pro^clo 
 non feciflet nifi encauftica inventa." 
 
 Which may be told in plain Englifi thus, " Who 
 iirft invented to paint with (or in) wax, and 
 burn in (or fix) the picture with fire, is not 
 certainly known. Some think Ariftides invented 
 it, and that Praxiteles brought it to perfcdion ; 
 but there were pi6tures by mafters, of a much 
 older date 3 fuch as of Polignote, Nicanor and 
 Arcefilaus, all artifts of Paros. 
 
 Lyfippus writ upon his pid^ures he burnt in, 
 which he would not have done if the encauftic 
 had not been invented then.'* 
 
4 EncauJIic Painting. 
 
 This was the paflage, the 
 count undertook to clear up, 
 in trying all the different ways 
 that are poffible to paint in 
 wax ; and stfter many experi- 
 ments, he hit upon a very 
 fimple method, of which he 
 made a fecret, in order to ex- 
 cite the curiofity of the public. 
 
 The feveral artifts who were 
 delirous of knowing by what 
 means the count came to make 
 this difcovery, made feveral at- 
 tempts themfelves ; but in a 
 great number of trials, only 
 two are worth mentioning. 
 
 The firft was to melt wax 
 and oil of turpentine together, 
 
 and 
 
Encau/Iic Painting. 5 
 
 and ufe it for mixing the co- 
 lours. But this method does not 
 at all explain Pliny's meaning; 
 becaufe wax is not burnt in 
 this way of managing it : and 
 befides, this method has two 
 defects ; the oil of turpentine 
 dries too faft, and does not al- 
 low the painter fufficient time 
 to blend and unite his colours. 
 
 The fecond method is very 
 ingenious, and feems to come 
 up to Pliny's notion very well; 
 it is as follows ; the wax is 
 melted with ftrong lixivium of 
 fait of tartar, and with this the 
 colours are ground. When the 
 pidure is hnifhed, it is gradu- 
 ally put to the firej which in- 
 B 3 creafes 
 
6 Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 creafes the heat by degrees ; 
 the wax melts, fvve]]s, and is 
 bloated up upon the pidlure; 
 then the pidure is removed 
 gradually from the fire, and 
 the colours do not at all ap- 
 
 pear 
 
 to have been difordered 
 
 > 
 
 the colours then become unal- 
 terable by the adion of the 
 fire, and even fpirit of wine 
 has been burnt upon them 
 without doing them the leaffc 
 harm. 
 
 However, the following is 
 the Count de Caylus's me- 
 thod, which is much more 
 fimple ; according to which 
 the head of Minerva was paint- 
 
 ed, 
 
Encauftic Painting. j 
 
 ^d, which was fo much admi- 
 red by all the connoilTeurs. 
 
 Firjl. The cloth or wood 
 designed for the pifture is wax- 
 ed over, by only rubbing it 
 fimply with a piece of bees- 
 wax. 
 
 Secondly. The colours are 
 mixed up with common wa- 
 ter; but as thefe colours will 
 not adhere to the wax, the 
 whole pidure is to be firft 
 rubbed over with Spanilli chalk, 
 or whitening, and then the co- 
 lours are ufed. 
 
 Thirdly. When the picture 
 
 is dry, it is put near the fire, 
 
 B 4 whereby 
 
8 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 whereby the wax melts, and 
 abforbs all the colours. 
 
 It muft be allowed, that 
 nothing can be more limple 
 than this method ; and it is 
 thought, that this kind of 
 painting is capable of vvith^ 
 ftanding the injuries of the 
 weather, and lafl: longer than 
 painting in oil; which I will 
 not anfwer for. 
 
 The effed produced by thefe 
 colours upon wax is very lin- 
 gular ; nor can one have any 
 notion of it without feeino; it. 
 The colours have not that na- 
 tural varnifh or fhining, that 
 they acquire with oil ; but you 
 
 are 
 
Encau/iic Painting. 9 
 
 are capable of feeing the pidure 
 in any light, or in whatfoever 
 fituation you place it ; in fhort 
 there can be no falfe glare or 
 light upon the pidure for the 
 fpedators : the colours are fe- 
 cured, are firm, and will bear 
 vvafliing ; and have a property, 
 which I look upon as the moft 
 important of any, which is, 
 that they have fmoaked this 
 pidure in places fubjed to foul 
 vapours, and to fmoke in chim- 
 nies ; and then by being expo- 
 fed to the dew, it became as 
 clean as if it had been but jufl 
 painted." 
 
 Thefe are all the contents of 
 the letter, laid before the Roy- 
 
lo Encaujiic Painting, 
 
 al Society by a member of that 
 learned body, who accompa- 
 nied it with a feries of very 
 acute and learned obfervations, 
 which, with an extenfive know- 
 ledge, fliew an inclination to 
 prove that the count's method 
 could not be the encauftic of 
 the ancients, and that encaujio 
 pingendi could be nothing elfe 
 but enameling. 
 
 It is neither my bufinefs nor 
 intention to enter into difcuf- 
 lions ; it would be too difficult 
 a taik to prove that the count's 
 invention comes up to Pliny's 
 meaning ; no certain evidence 
 can be brought neither for nor 
 againft it. Any difcovery that 
 
 tends 
 
Encaujiic Pai?Jti?2g. 1 1 
 
 tends towards improvement of 
 arts and fciences is valuable; 
 that the count's invention is of 
 this kind, will appear to every 
 unprejudiced mind. 
 
 Therefore it matters not if 
 the ancients did fo or not. 
 
 But, to give my opinion on- 
 ly the numberlefs experi- 
 ments I made to bring the new 
 encauftic into a regular fyftem 
 — the repeated trials to explain 
 Pliny's meaning any other way 
 that would anfwer the i:>;eneral 
 ends of painting, &c. induce 
 me to believe that encaujlo pin- 
 gendi of the ancients could not 
 be enameling, but muft have 
 
 been 
 
12 Encaufiic Painting. 
 
 been fome manner of painting 
 very near of kin to that which 
 is the fubjeft of this treatife. 
 Befides the clear and expreflive 
 words of our ancient author — 
 Ceris pijigere ac pitiuram inu- 
 rere — and where he fpeaks of 
 their fhip painting — refolutis 
 igni ceris penicilio utendi — carry 
 a filent proof with them, that 
 the Latin verb urere ought not 
 to be underftood in fo fierce a 
 degree as enameling requires. ^ 
 
 In both the above cited pa- 
 fages cera is in the plural num- 
 ber ; 
 
 * Pliny is an evidence for this my opinion; 
 tor after having faid, Jib. xxxv. ch. 4. Nicias 
 fcripfit fe imijjijje, he fays, tali e7ii?n ufus efl^ver- 
 ho. Which v/ords feem clearly to indite that 
 Pliny thought it equivocal, or contrary to 
 its proper figniiication. 
 
Encaujlic Painting. i;J 
 
 ber ; and for this very reafon I 
 believe it can mean nothing elfe 
 but bees-wax iimple, or com- 
 pounded with other ingredients 
 capable to fvmpathife there- 
 with. 
 
 It would be ridiculous to 
 fuppofe the Latin tongue fo 
 defedtive in P l i xN y 's time, 
 as not to afford two diftindt 
 names for two things {b oppo- 
 fite as enameling and fhip 
 painting are. 
 
 I cannot conceive what good 
 enamel would or could do to 
 their fliips, without undergo- 
 ing the operation of the hrc 
 after being painted. Nor can I 
 
 form 
 
14 Rncaujlic Painting. 
 
 form any idea of a Roman ena- 
 meled firft-rate man of war. 
 
 The moft probable reafon, 
 for Pliny's not giving a better 
 account of particulars may be, 
 that he knowing nothing at all 
 of the matter, ufed the term of 
 art then in vogue ; or was im- 
 pofed upon by artifts who did 
 not chufe to part with the fe- 
 cret of their art. 
 
 Inftances of this kind we 
 
 have every day. Arts and 
 
 trades abound with jargon and 
 myftical names, which, if taken 
 or explained literally, would 
 often prove but little analogous 
 to their fubjedl. Writers that 
 
 pay 
 
'Encaujlic Painting. 1 5 
 
 pay no regard to that, and 
 without farther fcrutiny fpeak 
 and relate what they are told, 
 muft of courfe be uninteliigible. 
 Hence it comes that moft of 
 our didionaries on arts and fci- 
 ences, and the greateft num- 
 ber of books on painting, are 
 fo perplexin^g ; and in many 
 a point rival Pliny in obfcu- 
 rity. 
 
 To write upon a fubjecl and 
 unfold its myflery, one ought 
 to be pracTtically acquainted 
 with it ; a fuperficial drawing 
 is not enough ; to teach others- 
 how to go to work, the fedion^ 
 is wanted. 
 
 If 
 
1 6 Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 If all books upon arts and 
 fciences, manufactures and me- 
 chanics, had been or could be 
 written by the refpedlive pro- 
 felTors thereof, things would 
 appear in another light ; we 
 fhould, perhaps, not have the 
 fineft language in thofe per- 
 formances ; but we do not want 
 that, plain truth and common 
 fenfe is all that is required ; 
 if a guide leads us the right 
 way, we need not mind his drefs. 
 
 I fhall make no apology for 
 this performance of mine : if 
 the contents do not fpeak for 
 themfelves, my abilities as a 
 writer would but weakly fup- 
 port them, only as new inven- 
 tions 
 
Encauftic Painting, i 7 
 tions are frequently condemn- 
 ed for no other reafon but be- 
 caufe they are new ; it becomes 
 me to acquaint the public, that 
 I (hould never have gone (o 
 far as to publilli this fyftem, if 
 I had not been convinced of 
 its merit by experience and 
 praftice ; I made many and 
 various experiments (as will be 
 mentioned in the fequel) to af- 
 certain its ftability ; and ha- 
 ving painted feveral pidlures of 
 different fizes, I can anfwer for 
 its pradlicability. In fhort, it 
 is a manner of painting fufcep- 
 tible of all the boldnefs, free-^ 
 dom and delicacy of any other 
 whatfoever ; you may leave off 
 and cherifla your work at plea- 
 C fure. 
 
1 8 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 fure, you cannot fatigue your 
 colours, you are not fubjed to 
 that inconvenience attending 
 oil painting, viz. of fetting one's 
 pidure by to dry, &c. 
 
 You will have all the effeds 
 and fvveetnefs of painting in oil, 
 and the colours vi^ill not be li- 
 able to fade and change; no 
 damp can affect it, no corro- 
 live w^ill hurt it ; nor can the 
 colours crack and fall in fhivers 
 from off the canvas. 
 
 Let no-body think me too po- 
 litive, or intoxicated v^ith my 
 own notions, before they have 
 gone through the whole trea- 
 tife, and made a few experi- 
 ments. 
 
Encaujiic Paifiting. g i 
 
 nients. I advance fads, and not 
 conjedures only. 
 
 It is not my intention to 
 quarrel or depreciate oil paint- 
 ing, nor will I attempt to de- 
 ny its true merit; therefore 
 hope it will not be confidered 
 as a crime to propofe a me- 
 thod that will equal its per- 
 fedlions, and furpafs it for du- 
 ration and ftability of colours* 
 I ttU artifts what I know, they 
 may do what they judge pro- 
 per. Though I beftow encomi- 
 ums upon my fubjed it is not 
 with a dehgn to impofe; I am 
 not fclf-conceited, or fooliili 
 enough to think or believe that 
 Rynolds or Ranfey, Scott or 
 C 2 Lam- 
 
20 Encaujlic Pamting. 
 
 Lambert, &c. &c. will take up 
 at once and prefer my new 
 fyftem to that they pradlifed 
 for many years with fuccefs 
 and applaufe — they, and every 
 body elfe, may try ; a trifling 
 expence, and a few idle hours 
 w^ill afford experiments by which 
 they will know if what I ad- 
 vance v^ill really be an advan- 
 tage to their works and them- 
 felves. And how far it will an- 
 fwer, either whole or in part, the 
 general ends of painting, one 
 lingle fketch will be enough to 
 judge by ; in arts, one expe- 
 rience is worth a thoufand con- 
 jecftures. 
 
 In 
 
E?2cau/Iic Painting. 21 
 
 In the profecution of my 
 fyftem, oil colours came always 
 in for a part of the experiment, 
 inoppofition to thofe fixed with 
 wax, in order to judge better 
 and with more precilion of their 
 variation. By this it happened 
 that I often painted oil colours 
 over a waxed ground ; which 
 colours always appeared bright- 
 er and cleaner than the very 
 fame painted over an oil cloth ; 
 at leaft I fancied that dead co- 
 louring in water colours and 
 finifhing in oil, was an expe- 
 riment worth trying. For this 
 purpofe (as portrait painting is 
 not my province) I pitched up- 
 on a head of Sir Godfrey Knel- 
 ler, a gentleman and friend had 
 C 3 fent 
 
2 2 EncauJIic Painting. 
 
 fent me to copy fmall in oil ; 
 accordingly I dead coloured it 
 in water colours and fixed them 
 with wax, and afterwards fi- 
 ni£hed it in oil colours, not 
 only to my fatisfadion and fur- 
 prize, but every body's elfe that 
 faw it; the brightness and tranf- 
 parency of its colours is not to 
 be conceived. I copied the fame 
 head again in oil colours only, 
 and with all imaginable care 
 and attention, but the colour- 
 ing of the latter looked dull in 
 oppofition to the other * ; to 
 give reafons for this incident 
 
 is 
 
 * Both pI61:ures were dirpofed of as foin as 
 finifhed to a Dutch gentleman, who fent them 
 to Holland as a pattern, and were might \j ap- 
 proved of. 
 
Encau/Iic Pai?2ti?jg. 2 3 
 
 is more than I can do ; I fliall 
 give a few conjedlures, and con- 
 jeftures only, upon it, under 
 the article of experiments. 
 
 If I fhould not gain the ap- 
 probation and good will of the 
 oil painting faculty, for a few 
 hints : I am fure thofe artifts 
 who profefs painting in cray- 
 ons will be beholden 10 me 
 for what I fhall communicate 
 to them — a method to fix cray- 
 ons or paftelle. 
 
 Every body knows the beau- 
 ties and pleafing efFecfls of thofe 
 paintings and their perifhable 
 qualities fo well, that to en- 
 large upon is needlefs to be- 
 C 4 fiovr 
 
^4 Encauftic Painting. 
 
 flow great encomiums upon my 
 fecret, which is fo clofely con- 
 neded with encauftic for the 
 pencil, and whofe merit has al- 
 ready been mentioned, v/ould 
 be fuperfluous; the procefs and 
 experiments I am now going 
 to unfold will be of more weight 
 than all my reafbnings previous 
 thereto. 
 
 To make the whole familiar 
 and eafy to all capacities, I 
 thought it convenient to lay 
 down the whole penciling fyf- 
 tem under five different articles 
 or periods, according as they 
 fucceed each other in the exe- 
 cution \ and to keep the thread 
 of the proceeding uninterrupt- 
 
 ed. 
 
Encauftk Painting. 25 
 
 ed, I fliall make a few obfer- 
 vations upon every article in 
 particular, and there give and 
 explain the different methods 
 that may be pradlifed for the 
 fame end, together with my 
 reafon, and why I deviated in 
 fome parts from Count C a y- 
 L u s 's fyftem. 
 
 The operations for painting 
 with crayons will be treated and 
 explained feparately, and up- 
 on the fame plan. Laftly, the 
 experiments will come in to il- 
 luftrate both, and verify what 
 I advance. 
 
 ART, 
 
26 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 ART. I. 
 
 Preparation of the cloth for 
 painting in Encaujiic. 
 
 'IpAKE any fort of clean 
 ^ linnen cloth whofe tex- 
 ture is pretty clofe, foft and 
 €ven, ftretch it lipon a ftrain- 
 ing frame, as you would do 
 an oil cloth, lay it upon a 
 fmoth table, the fide your are 
 to paint on downwards, then 
 with a piece of common bees 
 or virgin wax rub it over and 
 over, till you perceive a good 
 quantity of the wax adhere to 
 the cloth, in equal proportion 
 over the whole. * 
 
 Your 
 
 * Any fort of old cloth, if whole. Is as good as 
 flew i I prefer the former to the latter for its 
 
 foft- 
 
Encaujlic Painting. 27 
 
 Your cloth thus waxed is 
 ready to paint upon if it be 
 fine ; if it is coarfe, turn it, 
 and with a pumice ftone gently 
 rub over the fide which is to 
 receive the colours, to take oft 
 all the knots andunevennefs that 
 might obflrud: the free flowing 
 of your pencil. 
 
 If you want to paint a pic- 
 ture of any determined fize. 
 provide a ftraining frame, whofe 
 inner circumference is equal to 
 the height and width requi- 
 red ; that is to fay, you muft 
 
 have 
 
 foftncfs. To afcertain a juft proportion of wax 
 to every fort of cloth is unneceiTary, if you 
 fhould either put too much or not enough, you 
 may eafily remedy it. See Art. iv. One (ingle 
 trial will clear up the incertitude. 
 
28 Encaujiic Pai?2ting, 
 
 have two r mes, the one to 
 work and nifh your pidure 
 upon, the other whereon the 
 pidure is to go and remain 
 when finifhed. The firft muft 
 be of fuch height and width, 
 as to contain between its inner 
 edges cloth enough to cover 
 the fecond. No part of the 
 cloth you paint over ought to 
 touch the wood of the frame, 
 if it did the wood would im- 
 bibe part of the wax, when 
 the pidure is brought near the 
 fire, and leave thofe parts im- 
 perfed. 
 
 A Pv T, 
 
Encaujlic Painting. 29 
 
 ART. II. 
 
 Of the colours a7td their pre^ 
 paration. 
 
 ALL colours ufed in oil 
 -^^ painting are fit for this 
 manner, and no others. There 
 are a few that ought to be 
 omitted ; for reafon fee the 
 lift of colours. 
 
 Grind all your colours 
 very fine with fimple wa- 
 ter, allot to every particular 
 colour a diftindt vefiel, fuch as 
 galipots, pans, &c. From your 
 colours fo ground, compofe all 
 the different principal tints, a^ 
 
 the 
 
30 Encaujiic Painting* 
 
 the nature of your intended 
 work lliall require. 
 
 But, as moft of the colours 
 acquire a deeper hue when 
 moiftened, and fome deeper 
 flili when jfixed with wax, it 
 will be neceflary, to prevent 
 perplexity in the execution, to 
 have a guide for retouching, 
 either when the pidure is fi- 
 nifhed and dry, before the 
 operation of the fire, or after 
 it is fixed ; for this purpofe you 
 may, before you go to work, 
 ufe the following expedient. 
 
 Take two flips of cloth a- 
 bout a foot long, and three or 
 
 four 
 
Encaujlk Pai?itmg. 31 
 
 four inches wide, wax them 
 as before mentioned, then up- 
 on the one flip paint of every 
 one of your entire colours ^ a- 
 bout an inch high over the 
 whole width of the cloth, and 
 with yonr tints already com- 
 pofed do the fame upon the 
 other piece of cloth, according 
 to their order and degradation;, 
 "t* mark every tint with a num- 
 ber, fuch as I ^ 2, 3, &c. write 
 down upon a paper every num- 
 ber, and what it is compofed 
 of. This done and your co- 
 Jours fo applied dry, cut your 
 cloth acrofs all the tints from 
 
 top 
 
 * Entire colours are the white, red, yellow 
 blue, &c. 
 
 t See the nature of this better explained in the 
 copper^plate at the end ofobfervations of Art. 2. 
 
3 2 Encauflic Painting. 
 
 top to bottom in two equal 
 parts ; bring one half of each 
 near the fire, and by melting 
 the wax fix them, the other 
 two halves you keep as they 
 are unfixed. 
 
 By rejoining and comparing 
 them together, you may judge 
 what ftrength every tint will 
 acquire, and by their recipro- 
 cal references you will be ena- 
 bled to alter or imitate, deepen 
 or heighten with certainty, any 
 tint, either before or after the 
 colours are fixed. 
 
 In painting be not fparing ; 
 the greater body of colours you 
 employ, the better and brighter 
 
 your 
 
Encauftic Painting. 33 
 
 your work will appear ; you 
 may give greater freedom to 
 your pencil, blend and fweet- 
 en your colours better than in 
 any other way of painting. 
 
 ART. III. 
 
 How to paint over or alter any 
 part before the piSiure has 
 been near the fire. 
 
 IF the parts of the pidure 
 you want to retouch are large 
 and the colouring; dry, take a 
 large foft hair pencil, and with 
 water gently moiften thofe pla- 
 ces, or the whole pidure if you 
 pleafe, and repaint till your 
 t7e is fatisfied. You might 
 D paint 
 
34 Encaufnc FaiiiWig. 
 
 paint over, or alter any part 
 without moiftening, but on a 
 firft trial you would not fo 
 well fee what you are about. 
 While the pidure is w^et it ap- 
 pears very near what it will be 
 when fixed ; when it is dry it 
 looks like a weak dead colour- 
 ing in oil. You will fee enough 
 to judge of the general effed, 
 but none of the tenderer half 
 tints will appear difcernable e- 
 nough to judge of them with 
 precifion. In large pictures 
 where the cloth will be requi- 
 red flrongcr, a pidure is kept 
 wet with preat eafe and fecu- 
 rity, by mciftening it on the 
 back with a large brufli as of- 
 ten as there is occafion^ for the 
 
 water 
 
EncauJIic Painti7ig. 35 
 
 water will foon foak through 
 the texture and take hold of 
 the colours ; there is no danger 
 of difturbing them on the other 
 fide with the adion of the bruflb, 
 by reafon of the fubftance ot 
 the cloth. 
 
 ART. IV. 
 
 To fix the colours by melting the 
 
 wax, 
 
 TIT HEN your picture is jS- 
 
 ^ ^ niflied and dry, have a 
 
 good clear fire of fea-coals, ^" 
 
 D 2 approach 
 
 * I prefer a fire of fca-coals becaufe it is much 
 more uniform, and does not emit fo many 
 fparks as wood or charcoals, which might in- 
 jure the pi<5ture, though any fire with proper 
 care will anfwer the end propofed ; a German 
 ftove is ftill better than any fire whatfoever. 
 
36 Encaujlic Paifitiitg. 
 
 approach your picture with the 
 painted iide towards it, at a- 
 bout two lect diftance, let it 
 grow warm by gentle degrees, 
 always approaching nearer, till 
 w^ithin a foot diftance from the 
 grate, but never clofer, holding 
 .your picture perpendicularly or 
 a little inclined as you fhall 
 find neceffary. If the pidure 
 is large do one half firft, then 
 the other ; there is not the leaft 
 difficulty for any fize. 
 
 When you perceive by the 
 hue and fhining of the painted 
 furface that all is perfedly ab- 
 forbed ; then remove it gradu- 
 ally from the fire as you ad- 
 vanced 
 
Encaujiic Pai?iling. 37 
 
 vanced it, and your picture 
 will be done. 
 
 If you fee any place defec- 
 tive for want of a fufficient 
 quantity of wax, ^ put a little 
 finely fcraped wax on the back 
 of that place, then bring only 
 a red hot poker, or fome fuch 
 thing towards it, the wax will 
 immediately fettle in its place. 
 If there are many parts fo de- 
 fedive, put fcrapings of wax 
 there, and bring the whole pic- 
 ture before the fire as above 
 mentioned. There is no dan- 
 ger in bringing the picture to 
 D 3 the 
 
 * V(Mi will eafily know thole places that 
 fhall want wax ; they will appear like fo many 
 fpotsof a lighter hue. 
 
38 Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 the fire as often as required, 
 provided you never give it too 
 great a degree ot heat ; if you 
 Ao^ the wax will raife in bub- 
 bles upon the furface, and your 
 pifture will look rough and 
 uneven. 
 
 Advance your picture never 
 too hafty, nor retire it too quick- 
 ly ; if you do the former, the 
 fudden adion of the fire might 
 diflurb fome of the colours; if 
 the latter, the wax Vv'ill not re- 
 tire enough within the texture 
 of the cloth, confequently lye 
 too much above the colours and 
 look glaring. If you perceive 
 any fuch glaring fpots or pla- 
 ces upon your pidure, or (in 
 
 ether 
 
Eftcauflk Painting: 39 
 
 other words) parts that appear 
 varniihed like, and that ap- 
 pearance (liould proceed from 
 too great a quantity of wax, 
 paint thofe places over on the 
 back with whitening, or any- 
 one of your other colours, and 
 when dry bring the pidure near 
 the fire, as above mentioned, 
 and thofe .colours or v/hitening 
 will imbibe the overplus of the 
 wax. Repeat that if required. 
 
 D 4 A R '\ 
 
40 Rncaujlic Painting. 
 
 ART. V. 
 
 How to retouch or paint over 
 any part after the colours 
 are Jixed. 
 
 T) U T upon your pallet fuch 
 •^ of your tints as will be fit 
 for the place or parts you want 
 to alter or paint over, temper 
 and employ them with a little 
 fpirit of wine ; * repaint, and 
 bring the pidure to the fire as 
 often as required, and thofe 
 retouched parts will become 
 
 fixed 
 
 * Any other fpirit fuch 2S that ccmmonly 
 burnt in lamps, common gin, rum, or genuine 
 brandy, will do juft as well ; fpirit or oil or 
 turpeniine is very proper too ; but as it fmells fo 
 very ftrong, ladies and gentlemen that paint for 
 their amufement only would not like it. 
 
Encatcfiic Painting. 41 
 
 fixed like any other part of the 
 
 pidture. 
 
 OhfervatioJis o?t article the fir JJ. 
 
 AS linen cloth is the mate- 
 rial moft commonly and 
 preferably ufcd, as the fitteft 
 and moft convenient to paint 
 upon, I chofe to give under 
 Article the firft, diredions for 
 that purpofe only ; for though 
 the wax and colours may be ap- 
 plied to cloth and other mate- 
 rials in feveral difFerent man- 
 ners, I, not to bewilder the 
 beginners in multiplicities on a 
 firft fetting out, gave and re- 
 commend that, which befides 
 
 its 
 
42 RncaujUc Painting, 
 
 its being the likelieft to be moll 
 pradifed, is the beft for foli- 
 dity, and will prove to every 
 practitioner the ealieft, mofl 
 agreeable, expeditious and con- 
 venient for execution. 
 
 But not to deprive the ar- 
 tifts and curious of the feveral 
 means and methods that may 
 be pradifed for and towards 
 the fame end, I fliall here give 
 fome of the principal ones, as 
 well for painting upon canvas 
 as upon wood, plaifler, &c. 
 but firfl: of all I fliall confider 
 and treat Count Caylus's fyf- 
 tem a little more at large, and 
 fhew why I have deviated from 
 it in this particular, and leave 
 
 the 
 
E?tcaujlic Painlwg. 43 
 
 the artift at liberty to adopt 
 and practife which fuits hitii, 
 belt. 
 
 The Count's method for pre- 
 paring the cloth conlifts, ia 
 ftretching it upon a frame, and 
 holding it horizontally over, or 
 perpendicularly before a fire 
 (at a diftance convenient and 
 proportionable to the degree of 
 heat it cafts) and rubbing it with 
 a piece of wax ; which, melt- 
 ing gradually as it is rubbed on, 
 diffufes itfelf, penetrates the 
 body, and fills the interftices of 
 the texture of the cloth, which 
 when cool, is fit to paint upon; 
 but, as water colours will not 
 adhere regularly flowing and 
 
 con- 
 
44 Kncaujlic Painting. 
 
 connefledly to the wax, He, to 
 remedy this inconveniency, 
 makes ufe of an intermediate 
 body, viz. chalk or whitening, 
 with which he rubs over that 
 furface of the waxed canvas 
 he intends to paint upon, and 
 then the colours will eafily flow 
 over and adhere to it. 
 
 Now, though this way of 
 proceeding is very llmple and 
 fuccefsfully pradicable for fmall 
 fubjecls ; — for iniiance, — fach 
 as the head of Diana, menti- 
 oned in the Abbe's letter, or 
 any other that may be hnifned 
 in a couple oi hours, and while 
 the colours upon the canvas 
 ret.iiii moiflure • vet, to exe- 
 cute 
 
EncauJIic Paiitttjig. 45 
 
 cute piftures of a larger fize 
 and compofitionj which will 
 require many a day's labour and 
 application, and whereof no 
 part can be finiflied pofitively 
 at the firft cnfet, this manner 
 of managing it will not anfwer 
 fo well, as that given under 
 Art. the firfl:, for the following 
 reafons. 
 
 Firfi. In painting upon the 
 wax by virtue of the whitening, 
 you will not have that conve- 
 niency of retouching or alter- 
 ing of any parr, and before the 
 colours are fixed, fo well, as 
 painting upon the rav/ and bare 
 canvas will afford you ; be- 
 caufe the texture and fibres of 
 
 the 
 
46 EncauJHc Painting. 
 
 the cloth being thoroughly in- 
 vaded by the wax, there re- 
 mains nothing for water co- 
 lours to fix or adhere to, capa- 
 ble to retain them ; thofe co- 
 lours once dry, the llightefl: 
 touch of a moift pencil will, as 
 it were, attract them, and fre- 
 quently make and leave a bare 
 fpot; fo that in attempting to 
 retouch, inftead of adding frefh 
 colours, you will fetch off the 
 old ones ; for though the rough 
 edged particles of the chalk fa- 
 cilitate to the firft colours an 
 adhefion upon the fmooth bo- 
 dy wax yet, water the vehi- 
 cle of the colours, being the 
 menftruum of chalk, by dif- 
 compofing it deftroys part of its 
 
 power 
 
E?2caujlic Painthig. 47 
 
 power and virtue, and renders 
 it incapable to perform the firft 
 fervice a fecond time. 
 
 Secojidly. Upon canvas fully 
 imbibed w^ith wax, you can 
 neither ufe fo great a body of 
 colours, nor employ them with 
 fuch freedom, boldncfs, or de- 
 licacy as you may upon cloth, 
 whofe texture is not pre-occupied 
 with wax — the reafon is obvi- 
 ous — the one has its pores and 
 interftices filled up with wax ; 
 the other's you muft fill up v^ ith 
 colours. Cloth, a firm fpungy 
 body or fubftance, in fucking 
 in the water attrads the colours 
 along v/ith it into its pores, 
 and thereby facilitates the firm 
 
 and 
 
48 EncauJIic Pai?iti?ig. 
 
 :^vA delicate ftrokes ; and the 
 colours mixing and adhering to 
 its numberlefs fibres, will not 
 come off on retouching-, be- 
 fore the pifture is fixed ; you 
 may cherifh or leave your work 
 at pleafure without detriment 
 cr inconveniency arifing ironi 
 that. Advantages that cloth 
 pre-occupied with wax is inca- 
 pable of. 
 
 Thirdly and laftly. By paint- 
 ing on canvas prepared accord- 
 ingr to the diredions of Art. 
 the firft, your works will be 
 more folid and lafting, becaufe 
 the colours will not fimply lay 
 upon the furface of the w^ax, 
 but cloth, wax and colours will 
 
 make 
 
Encaujiic Painting. 49 
 
 make but one individual body. 
 — Thus much on my deviation 
 from Count Caylus's fyftem, 
 in regard to the preparation of 
 the cloth. 
 
 For painting upon walls or 
 plaifter where the wax cannot 
 be appUed on the back, the 
 Count's fyftem muft be pradli- 
 fed ; it will fucceed well ; the 
 rough and gritty grain of the 
 plaifter will take and retain a 
 fufticient quantity of colours to 
 infure folidity ; the only dif- 
 ference between painting upon 
 cloth and plaifter confifts in 
 this ; painting upon canvas you 
 can finidi your pidure intirely 
 E before 
 
50 Eiicaufik Painting. 
 
 before y.ou fix it ; in painting 
 upon plaifter, you muft pro- 
 ceed as you do in painting with 
 oil colours, viz. firft, dead co- 
 lour your fubjed and fix it, 
 and then paint it over again 
 and finifli it, either by virtue 
 of the chalk, or by tempering 
 and employing the colours with 
 fome fpirit, or oil of turpentine. 
 You may too paint and retouch 
 v/ith crayons. 
 
 Upon wood, ftone, and me- 
 tals, — you muft proceed as you 
 do upon plaifter ; but as there 
 is no grain you muft procure 
 an artificial one, after your 
 board is waxed, by laying on a 
 
 ground 
 
E72caufiic Paifjting. 5 1 
 
 ground of any colour mixed 
 with half chalk and fix it * ; 
 upon this you may paint with 
 water colours or crayons, as 
 fweetly as upon canvas. 
 
 To paint upon paper ; — 'you 
 muft have a fmooth board, or 
 copper plate of a convenient 
 fize, and well waxed; upon 
 this you faften your paper by 
 the corners and paint upon; 
 the colours dry, prefent it to 
 the fire, and the wax under- 
 neath the paper melting, will 
 foak and penetrate through and 
 E 2 fix 
 
 *The fame might b^ prafliced upon cloth, 
 it would do better than only rubbing it with the 
 chalk ; but for painting with the pencil the 
 bare cloth is ftill better. 
 
5 2 E,ncaujlk Painting. 
 
 fix the colours ; this method 
 may be fuccefsfully pradtifed 
 with cloth. 
 
 There are two more methods 
 remaining to be pradifed on 
 cloth and paper; but as they 
 make part of the fyftem for 
 painting with crayons, and will 
 be defcribed under that head, 
 I omit to mention them here^ 
 
 Obfer^ 
 
 i 
 
Encaujiic Painting. 5 3 
 
 Obfervatio7is on Article the fe- 
 
 C07id. 
 
 I N grinding the colours upon 
 * the ftone, and managing 
 them upon the pallette, care 
 fhould be taken not to ufe an 
 iron knife, the fteel or iron that 
 grinds off, in mixing with the 
 colours fpoils their brightnefs 
 and vivacity ; flake-white and 
 white-lead, yellow-oker, lacque 
 and light-red, fuffer greatly by 
 it, it gives them a dull and 
 dirty call:; Naples-yellow fuf- 
 fers moft of all from it ; its vi- 
 vacity is entirely deftroyed by 
 the iron's touching it. Horn, 
 ivory, or tortoife fhell knives, or 
 E 3 wooden 
 
54 EncauJIic Painting. 
 
 wooden fpatula's are fitter for 
 all manner of painting; they 
 will affedl no colours ; iron 
 knives have deftroyed many a 
 tender complexion in oil co- 
 lours ; for, the oil once dry, 
 the iron ground ofF from the 
 knife and mixed in the colours 
 will be converted into ruft by 
 the moifture of the air. — Tho' 
 this little hint is foreign to our 
 prefent fubjed, it will perhaps 
 not be unacceptable to my bre- 
 thren. — It is an effential point 
 in an architedl to be acquaint- 
 ed with the qualities and pro- 
 perties of the materials he builds 
 with, if his plan and flile, dif- 
 pofitions, proportions, &c. be 
 
 ever 
 
Encau/iic PainWtg. 5 5 
 
 ever fo good, noble, grand and 
 graceful, yet if his fabric falls 
 down as foon as built, we are 
 but little beholden to his ikill. 
 — Vandyke, I believe, never 
 ufed an iron knife, if he had he 
 would not have painted a fpa- 
 tula of horn in one of his pic- 
 tures, wherein all the utenlils 
 of a painter accompany his own 
 figure. — 
 
 The expedient recommended 
 under Art. the fecond, for efta- 
 blifhing a ftandard for all the 
 differing principal tints that 
 may be required for any fub- 
 jeft, will be of ufe to them 
 who are not much acquainted 
 with painting in water colours ; 
 E 4 and 
 
5 6 Encaujlic Pamting. 
 
 and to ladies and gentlemen, 
 who painting only now and 
 then for their amufement, can- 
 not have fo thorougrh a know- 
 ledge of the value of each co- 
 lour, and might therefore be 
 at a lofs how to retouch, after 
 the colours are fixed. 
 
 To make the diredions gi- 
 ven for that purpofe more in- 
 telligible, and to point out the 
 ufe of fuch a ftandard — let us 
 fuppofe — the annexed copper 
 plate figure A. B. C. D. to be 
 a piece of cloth, about a foot 
 long and three or four inches 
 wide, waxed on the back, as 
 direfted under Art. the firft, 
 and the divifions a. b. c. d. e. f. 
 g. h. &c. be the tints painted, 
 
 accord-^ 
 
Encaujlic Painting. 57 
 
 according to their order and 
 degradation, acrofs the whole 
 width of the cloth A. B. thefe 
 tints dry, cut the piece of cloth 
 acrofs all the tints from top 
 E. to bottom F. in two equal 
 parts, bring the one half A C 
 near the fire, and by melting 
 the wax fix it, the other half 
 B D you keep as it is unfixed. 
 
 Now, the half A C beino 
 fixed, will fiiew you at one 
 glance what ftrength every tint 
 will acquire ; and if you moiften 
 again the other half B D, or 
 paint the fame tints upon a 
 frelh piece of cloth, you will 
 fee which are the colours that, 
 grow deeper ftill, fixed with 
 
 wax 
 
5 8 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 wax than they appear wlieii 
 only moiftened with water, and 
 the references 12345 £vC. 
 telhng you what each tint is 
 tompofed of, you will be ena- 
 bled to amend any one that 
 might be amifs. Farther, when 
 your pidure will be fixed and 
 it fhould want retouching, and 
 you fhould be at a lofs for hit- 
 ting of the tint or hue requi- 
 red for that purpofe,— bring 
 only the fixed half A C upon 
 the pidure and compare them, 
 and you will eafily find what 
 you want ; again, if you want 
 to renew any tint that is fpent, 
 find that tint upon the pidure, 
 with the fixed half A C, when 
 found compare it to, and 
 
 moifien 
 
f^a^.SS 
 
EncauJIic Painting. 59 
 
 moiften its fellow upon the un- 
 fixed half B D, and that will 
 give you again the original hue, 
 and the references 1234 &c. 
 will tell you what that tint is 
 principally compofed of 
 
 Tho' profeffed artifts (whofe 
 long experience enables them 
 to judge of the value of each 
 colour) will not have abfolute 
 occaiion for the comparative 
 ufe of fuch a ftandard, yet they 
 will not do amifs to make an 
 effay of their tints before they 
 employ them. 
 
 Obfer- 
 
6o Encaujl'ic Painting. 
 
 Ohfervations oi^ Ar^tich the 
 third. 
 
 np H E being able to work 
 ^ and retouch at pleafure, 
 and at any time, without fa- 
 tiguing the colours, or any o- 
 ther detriment arifing from it, 
 is an advantage pecuhar to en- 
 cauftic only ; for, the new co- 
 lours will unite with the old 
 ones without making fpots, as 
 is the cafe in common fize- 
 painting ; nor will there be 
 that inconveniency of rubbing 
 the places to be retouched over 
 with oil, as is the cafe with 
 oil piftures ; the only feeming 
 difficulty to a beginner, will 
 
 confift 
 
Encatijlic Painting. 6i 
 
 confiifl: in the colours growing 
 paler and weaker in drying, 
 but as a pidlure is eafily kept 
 wet, by moiftening it now and 
 then as above directed, the 
 difficulty vanifhes. Pidures of 
 any fize may eafily be kept 
 wet for feveral days, by apply- 
 ing a double wet cloth on the 
 back ; but a little practice will 
 render that precaution unne- 
 ceffary. 
 
 Every body in the leaft ac- 
 quainted with colours, knows 
 that water colours, tempered 
 or employed either with gum 
 or fize, grow paler and lighter 
 in drying, and that they ac- 
 quire their true tone only when 
 
 dry; 
 
62 Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 dry ; — in encauftic they grow 
 paler and lighter too in drying, 
 but they recede from and lofe 
 their true tone, — Encauftic is 
 the reverfe of fize-painting as 
 to effect, while you are at 
 work and the colours wet ; — 
 of the latter you cannot judge 
 pofitively until the colours are 
 dry ; of the former you can 
 only judge while the colours 
 are wet, or which is the fame, 
 when fixed with the wax. 
 
 Obfer^ 
 
E?icaujiic Painting. 63 
 
 Obfervatio7is on Article the 
 fourth. 
 
 ^'T^ H E mofl: effential point 
 '*• in encauftic — the fixing 
 of the colours — is the fimpleft 
 and eafieft for paintings of any 
 fize, moveable or immoveable. 
 A furface of forty feet may be 
 fixed as conveniently as a pic- 
 ture of twelve inches ; for if 
 the painting be too large to be 
 brought near the fire, or im- 
 moveable on a v/all, bring that 
 
 agent to the painting ; a 
 
 fquare copper or iron cheft, or 
 box, fuch as commonly ufcd 
 for v/arming or airing of beds, 
 v^ith a red hot iron or lighted 
 
 char- 
 
64 Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 charcoal in it, will do the bu- 
 {inefs admirably well, by pafs- 
 ing it in a diredion parallel to 
 and before the painted furface, 
 at a diftance proportionable to 
 the decree of heat it cafts, — -a 
 brafier ambula7^ty with a cover 
 to prevent the afhes from fly- 
 ing about, with charcoal well 
 lighted, will anfwer the end 
 too, by inclining the picture 
 over it, — an inftrument of iron 
 like a baker's fliovel, with a 
 long handle and made red hot, 
 will perform the fame fervice, 
 if waved in a parallel diredion 
 before the painted furface ; and 
 by heating it again, when grown 
 cool, with fuch an inftrument 
 one may fix paintings of the 
 
 largcft 
 
Rncaujlic Painting. 6^ 
 
 krgeft fize ; it matters not if 
 the whole be fixed at once, or 
 in parts at different times. 
 
 The directions for rectifying 
 of any defeds arifing from too 
 fmall a quantity of wax, are fo 
 clear, fimple and fufficient, 
 that they want but little ex- 
 planation or addition ; only, 
 you may inftead of wax fim- 
 ple ufe wax diflTolved in fuch a 
 quantity of oil of turpentine, 
 as to make it when cool, flu- 
 ent enough to be employed 
 with a brufii on the back of the 
 pidure, which, when brought 
 to the fire, the wax will fettle 
 with the colours, and the tur- 
 pentine will fly off. 
 
 F My 
 
66 Rncatijlic Pamttng. 
 
 My faying under the above 
 article that the fudden adlion 
 of the fire might difturb fome 
 of the colours, muft not be un- 
 derftood in regard to the wax, 
 but in regard to the nature of 
 the colours, which, if the pic- 
 ture be brought too near the 
 fire at once, will be fcorched 
 before the wax can melt and 
 penetrate the texture to fcreen 
 and fecure them. 
 
 Obfer^ 
 
Rncaujlic Painting. 6 
 
 7 
 
 Obfervations on Art. the jifth 
 a?id lajl. 
 
 TH E facility and conve- 
 niency for retouching a 
 pifture after the colours are 
 fixed, without the new co- 
 lours diflering from the hue 
 of the old ones, is an advan- 
 tage no other manner of paint- 
 ing is poffefled of. 
 
 In oil-painting you cannot 
 do it fo well except you paint 
 over large parts, becaufe the 
 colours in drying acquire a 
 yellower hue, than they have 
 while fredi ; there will aKvays 
 F 2 b<^ 
 
6 8 Kncaujlk Painting. 
 
 be a difference between the 
 very fame tints ; befides, oil 
 pidures are frequently greafy- 
 like and refufe the new colours, 
 fo that you are obliged to rub 
 thofe parts with oil, to make 
 the new colours adhere to and 
 flow over the old ones, which 
 rubbing with oil very often 
 makes a dull and yellow fpot 
 when the colours are dry ; in 
 fize-painting it is worfe, re- 
 touchings there in general ap- 
 pear hard, and in large maffes 
 of a uniform colour, — fuch as 
 
 fky's — produce fpots. En- 
 
 cauftic is free from all that ; 
 you may glaze with a body of 
 colours as thin and as tranf- 
 
 parent 
 
E?2cauJJic Painti7ig. 69 
 
 parent as you plcafe, without 
 your colours changing of tone. 
 By retouching with crayons 
 upon the fixed colours, the 
 fvveetefteffeds may be produced 
 in landfcapes and figures ; nay, 
 for retouching only here and 
 there, I fhould prefer crayons. 
 For inftance — to finifli a head, 
 — and give the decifive ftrokes 
 about the eye, mouth, hair, 
 and fliarp folds of linen, &c. 
 in landfcapes — for the extre- 
 mities of trees, &c. the fmart 
 touch of a crayon will be pre- 
 ferable to the pencil. 
 
 When your pidure is intirely 
 
 finiflied, and you fhould want 
 
 F 3 to 
 
70 'Emaujlk Painting. 
 
 to give the canvas more foli- 
 dity, you may paint it over on 
 the back with any colour or 
 tint, and bring it again and 
 for the laft time to the fire, to 
 £x that colour ; if you appre- 
 hend there is not W'ax enough, 
 apply a little diffolved in fpirit 
 of turpentine, as mentioned in 
 the foregoing obfervations en 
 Art. iv. this fixed take your 
 picture off from the frame, and 
 ftretch it upon that whereon 
 it is to remain. 
 
 Having now done with the 
 procefs for painting in encauftic 
 with the pencil, which not- 
 withftandingitshmplicity might 
 
 appear 
 
Encaujlk Painting. *ji 
 
 appear to fome beginners in- 
 tricate, becaufe I pointed out 
 all the difficulties that poffibly 
 may occur in the execution, — 
 to comfort and encourage thofe 
 that might think the tafk hard, 
 I fhall recapitulate, and re- 
 duce the whole within this 
 compafs. — Stretch a piece of 
 cloth upon a f?^ame^ rub the 
 back of that cloth with waXy 
 paint your fubjecl on the other 
 fide^ with colours prepared and 
 tempered with water ^ aitd when 
 dry bri?tg the piBure 7:ear the 
 fire^ and by melti?ig the wax 
 fix the colours. 
 
 N. B. I might have faid 
 
 much more, and dwelt longer 
 
 F 4 on 
 
72 E7icaujlic Painting. 
 
 on feveral particulars ; but as 
 the only aim of this treatifc is 
 to communicate the difcovery 
 to artifts, and others already ac- 
 quainted with the managem.ent 
 of colours, and not to form 
 pupils from beginning, I omit- 
 ted faying any thing of com- 
 pofing the tints and difpofing 
 the colours on the pallette, &c. 
 Every artift may go on in his 
 accuftomed method ; the ufe of 
 all the colours is in encauftic 
 as in oil, as may be feen by 
 the following lift. 
 
 The diredion for painting 
 with crayons will illuftrate fome 
 paffages cf the foregoing pro- 
 cefs, and what other advantages 
 
 encauftic 
 
Encauftic Painting. 73 
 
 encauftic painting will have 
 over oil and fize painting will 
 be {hewn by conclulions drawn 
 from the experiments. 
 
 The end of the fir Ji part. 
 
 List 
 
L I s T of the C o L o u R s 
 
 To be USED for 
 
 Painting in Encauftic^ 
 
 AS ALSO FOR THE 
 
 Com POSING of the Crayons. 
 
 WHITE. 
 
 Flake-white^ and white-lead^ or 
 cerufs, 
 
 FO R painting in encauftic, 
 I mix always both together 
 half and half ; flake white a- 
 lone is fubjed: to raife too much 
 little bubbles in employing it 
 
 with 
 
Encaujiic Painting. 7 5 
 
 with water, which the admix- 
 ture of the other prevents ; be- 
 sides, both together make a 
 better and more foHd body ; 
 tho' flake white is the whiteft 
 of the two, to ufe either alone 
 I fl^iould prefer the fecond. The 
 Venetian or Dahiiatian white 
 lead is by far the beft for all 
 manner of painting; being pre- 
 pared with a purer and fubtler 
 acid it is whiter and purer than 
 any other whatfoever, and pre- 
 ferable to flake white ; next to 
 it is the German or Dutch-; 
 French or Englidi cerufs are in 
 general but indifferent^ in ex- 
 periments I frequently found 
 the latter to have one third of 
 marie or chalk in its compofl- 
 
 tion: 
 
76 Encaujtic Painting. 
 
 tion ; which is the caufe of its 
 growing fo foon yellow, dull 
 and dirty in oil. 
 
 In compofing of the crayons 
 it will be well to obferve the 
 above mentioned proportion of 
 half and half, as by the doing 
 fo, much pipe clay will not be 
 required to bind them. 
 
 YELLOWS. 
 
 Naples-yellow, 
 
 Light-oker, 
 
 Brown-oker, 
 
 Yellow-orpiment, or, 
 
 King's-yellow, 
 
 Red-orpiment, 
 are all perfectly good and ne- 
 cefTary for our purpofe. 
 
 Naples- 
 
Encaujlic Painting. 77 
 
 Naples-yellow is the only 
 colour that ought to be ufed in 
 compofing the tenderer flefli 
 tints of women ; it proves a 
 very tender, bright and beau- 
 tiful lading colour for all man- 
 ner of painting, if properly pre- 
 pared and managed, if not, a 
 dirty, weak and treacherous 
 one, and particularly in oil. It 
 is a mineral compound of lead, 
 antimony, fulphur, and fome 
 arfenic, which latter is the caufe 
 of its changing, and hurtincr 
 other colours, and particularly 
 the white, fo much comolain- 
 ed ol by the painters. 
 
 Though tliis yellow fixed 
 v/ith wax will not change ; yet 
 
78 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 it will not be amifs to infert a 
 method to clean, and purify it, 
 fo as to render it beautiful and 
 lafting for oil and other ufes. 
 To clean it do as follows. 
 
 Take crude Naples-yellow, 
 (the heaviefl: for bulk is the 
 beft • and break it into fmall 
 pieces with the mallet upon the 
 grinding (lone, put it in a clean 
 earthen velTel, and pour over 
 it a quantity of new milk, fuf- 
 ficient to cover it three or four 
 inches over, ftirring it vvell for 
 fome time with a wooden fpa- 
 tula or ftick ; then let all to- 
 gether ftand undifturbed for 
 five or fix days, and the milk 
 will become thick and four, and 
 
 mafter 
 
E^tcaujik PahtWtg. 79 
 
 mafter by its acidity the nox- 
 ious faline principles of the co- 
 lour ; having flood the above- 
 mentioned time, take off the 
 creamy part from the top of 
 the milk, and pour warm wa- 
 ter upon it, and let the veffel 
 overflow till you perceive the 
 water to come off as clear as 
 when poured on, and the co- 
 lour will be purified and fit 
 for ufe. 
 
 Light-oker, a precipitated, 
 feruginous earth, anfwers in en- 
 cauftic all the purpofes it does 
 in oil. 
 
 Brown-oker, a precipitated 
 feruginous earth too, only it 
 
 par- 
 
8o Encauflic Painting. 
 
 partakes a little of a vitrloline 
 principle, which the light oker 
 do,es not. In encauftic this co- 
 lour anfvvers all the purpofes it 
 does in oil. 
 
 Yellow orpiment, or king's 
 yellow. The principal confti- 
 tuent particles of this colour 
 are, fulphur and arfenic, which 
 latter prevails and makes great 
 hav^ock among the other co- 
 lours when ufed in oil ; it can- 
 not play the fame tricks fixed 
 with wax; Vv^ax being a clofer 
 and unvariable body, confines 
 its arfenical principle. Oil once 
 dry ceafes to be oil, and can 
 confine them no longer. 
 
 Red- 
 
E?tcaujlic Painting. 8 i 
 
 Red-orpiment, fo called to 
 diftinguifh it from the other, 
 is properly not red, but of a 
 rich orange colour, and is a 
 compound of arfenic and ful- 
 phur too; but here fulphur 
 prevails, which is the reafon of 
 its ftanding its ground better 
 and doing lefs harm in oil than 
 the other. 
 
 In encauftic it is of univer- 
 fal ufe, throughout a whole 
 pidture to give Vy^armth to lights 
 and fhades ; in landfcapes it may 
 be ufed from the horizon down 
 to the fore ground, to good 
 purpofe ; for fhades in flefh it 
 is admirable, it gives a clear, 
 foft and tranfparent ftrength ; 
 G in 
 
82 Encauftic Painting. 
 
 in the verdure of landfcapes it 
 anfwers all the ends for brown 
 pink, when mixed with a little 
 bone black. 
 
 This colour is very confpi- 
 cuous in all the warmer land- 
 fcapes of Claude Lorraine ; Mr. 
 Vernet a famous French paint- 
 er ufes it very much. 
 
 PINKS. 
 
 Light-pink^ and brown-pink. 
 
 Thefe two colours ought ra- 
 ther not be ufed, as they both 
 proceed from the fame vege- 
 table principle, viz. the juice 
 or ex trad got by decoilion 
 from French berries by the 
 
 help 
 
Encaujiic Paintmg. 83 
 
 help of acid falts \ confequently 
 incapable to fympathife with or 
 admit wax into their pores * ; 
 the wax can take hold of tliem 
 only fuperficially, which makes 
 them appear dry and gritty up- 
 on the pidure, and will eaiily 
 come off by rubbing thern with 
 one's finger. Thofe arnfts who 
 cannot do without them, will 
 do well to grind them, the 
 light pink with a little light 
 oker, and brown pink with a 
 G 2 little 
 
 * I am aware that every body will not en- 
 ter into this do6trine at fird, and feme n:;ay 
 think it very odd that a co'iour which is ufcd in 
 oil, fhould not fympathife with waxj the 
 queftion is eafily folvcd, the grinding ftones 
 unite oil and pinks, and bring them together by 
 force, but experience fhews it is but for a little 
 while ; the oil once dry, pinks loon fly ofF and 
 fade awuy. 
 
84 Encaujiic Painting: 
 
 little brown oker, and they 
 will keep a little better ; but 
 red orpiment and a little bone 
 black, making as fine a pink 
 as that properly fo called, it 
 will be beft to ufe the latter. 
 
 REDS. 
 
 Lake, 
 
 Vermilion, or 
 
 Cinnabar, 
 
 Minium, or 
 
 Red-lead, 
 
 Light-red, or 
 
 Light-oker calcined. 
 
 Brown-red, or 
 
 Brown-oker calcined 
 
 Indian-red, 
 are all properly qualified for 
 encauftic. 
 
 Cre 
 
Rncaujlic Paint i?tg. 85 
 
 Care muft be taken to have 
 the lake good ; that which is 
 commonly fold under the name 
 of Florence lacque, and re- 
 commended as the beft, is in 
 general the worft; it is ufually 
 in fmall hard grains, which 
 hardnefs is owing to gum ara* 
 bic, or w^hat is worfe, to that 
 glutinous fubftance which oozes 
 out from the cherry tree, put 
 in by the fabricant (of the lake) 
 to bind and keep the grains to- 
 gether, and make it appear 
 better merchandife than it real- 
 ly is; fuch lake will fcale off 
 from the canvas ; the gum it 
 is impregnated with hinders 
 the wax ftom penetrating its 
 pores — every body knows that 
 G 3 lacque 
 
86 Eftcaujlic Painting. 
 
 lacque is made of cochineal ; 
 there is a baftard lake made of 
 Brazil wood, but that is eafily 
 known by its dulnefs. The 
 beft lake for our purpofe is that 
 which is of a fine, clear, deep 
 hue, eafily to be broken and \ 
 crumbled between the fingers. 
 The fineft and beft lacque I 
 ever faw and ufed, is made 
 here in England by an inge- 
 nious artift in the feal engra- 
 ving way. 
 
 Vermilion, or cinnabar, an- 
 fwers in encauftic all the pur- 
 pofes it does in oil. 
 
 Minium, will be of infinite 
 fervice for painting with the 
 
 pencil 
 
Encatijlic Painthtg. 87 
 
 pencil and crayons ; it will not 
 change fixed with wax, as it 
 does in oil ; it may be ufed to 
 advantage in fome carnations 
 or flefh tints ; and in landfcapes 
 to enliven the oker, for great 
 lights. 
 
 Light-red, or light-oker cal- 
 cined, is of the fame univerfal 
 ufe in this manner ot painting 
 as it is in oil, or common wa- 
 ter colours. 
 
 Brown-red, or brown-oker 
 calcined, may be employed for 
 the fame ufe as in oil, or dif- 
 temper painting. 
 
 G 4 Indian- 
 
88 Encauftic Painting. 
 
 Indian-red, the French call 
 this colour, T'erre (T Angleterre^ 
 Englifh earth ; this colour is 
 particularly ufeful for diftances, 
 it makes the degradation of ob- 
 jeds light and airy. 
 
 Terra di Siena, and 
 Terra verte, 
 
 Terra di Siena, a yellow 
 hard and clayifh fubftance, fo 
 called from the city of Siena in 
 Italy, from whence it comes. 
 
 This colour is very unfit to 
 be ufed crude, either for paint- 
 ing in encauftic or crayons, its 
 pores are too clofe for the Vv^ax 
 to penetrate ; or to fay better, 
 
 this 
 
Encatijlic Painting. 89 
 
 this colour or earth is very 
 much impregnated with a ni- 
 trous principle, with which 
 wax cannot fympathife, and 
 for this very reafon it is as un- 
 fit to be ufed crude in oil. 
 Thofe painters that ufe it freely 
 have always but too much rea- 
 fon to repent. But, 
 
 Terra di Siena calcined, is a 
 very beautiful and ufeful co- 
 lour for all manner of painting, 
 and particularly encauftic. The 
 fire having difpelled in fome 
 meafure the nitrous principle, 
 the v/ax may freely enter its 
 pores. This colour gives a great, 
 foft, and glowing ftrength in 
 fleih, drapery and landfcape ; 
 
 fome 
 
90 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 fome painters call this colour 
 Roman oker. 
 
 Terra verte ; this colour too 
 comes to us from Italy, and 
 fome from Germany, they are 
 both alike, and ought to be en- 
 tirely banifhed the pallette, as 
 it grows fo foon dirty and black 
 when employed with oil. Ter- 
 ra verte differs from terra di 
 Siena in little elfe but colour, 
 it has a little vitriol. The too 
 free ufe fome of the older Italian 
 painters made of this colour in 
 flefh tints, is the caufe that 
 numbers of pictures of thofe 
 mafters are fo black as we fee 
 them at this time. 
 
 BLUES. 
 
Encaujlic Painting. 9 1 
 
 BLUES. , 
 
 Ultramarine, 
 Pruffian blue, 
 Smalt. 
 
 Ultramarine is perfeftly good, 
 and every body that likes to 
 ufe it may do fo. 
 
 Prufllan blue, equals ultra- 
 marine in encauftic, for all in- 
 tents and purpofes ; there is no 
 other blue required for cray- 
 ons neither. 
 
 Smalt may be ufed, but, I 
 think it rather too gritty j its 
 particles are too tranfparent for 
 
 parts 
 
92 Encaujiic Pamtiitg. 
 
 parts where a folid mafs of co- 
 lour is required. For crayons 
 it does very well mixed witli 
 Pruflian blue to bind it, both 
 together make a beautiful co- 
 lour, the grittinefs of fmalt 
 will there be of advantage. 
 This colour will not grow black 
 fixed with wax as it does in 
 oil. 
 
 BLACK S.^. 
 
 Ivory Black, 
 
 Bone Black 
 
 Blue Black, 
 have all the necefiary Gualih-- 
 cations to be employed. 
 
 Ivory black may be em- 
 ployed for all the ufes made of 
 it in oil. 
 
 Blue 
 
Encaufttc Painting. 93 
 
 Blue black is particularly 
 neceflary for landfcapes ; the 
 blue black generally fold at the 
 colour fhops is commonly made 
 of wine ftalks ; but blue black 
 made of peach, apricot, or 
 plum-ftones calcined, is by 
 far the beft ; it is not fo loofe 
 and fpungy as the former, its 
 colour too is finer. 
 
 Bone black is the moft va- 
 luable of the black tribe for 
 fweetnefs, and a tranfparent 
 warmth for landfcapes and fi- 
 gures ; bone black and white 
 alone will make fofter and 
 more natural turning tints than 
 any other colours can produce; 
 
 the 
 
94 Encaujlk Pai?tting. 
 
 the Flemifli painters ufe it 
 very much for glazing. 
 
 This black mixed with a lit- 
 tle terra di Siena calcined, 
 makes the ftrongeft and fweet- 
 eft fhades that can be obtained 
 with colours. 
 
 The beft is made of the 
 bones of mutton trotters calci- 
 ned. 
 
 COLLEN's EARTH. 
 
 A dark blackifli brown and 
 fomewhat bituminous earth, 
 inclining a little towards pur- 
 ple, is a very good colour, and 
 of lingular ufe where extraor- 
 dinary 
 
Eiitaufiic Painting. 95 
 
 dinary ftrength is required in 
 fore grounds. 
 
 UMBRA, 
 
 Crude and calcined. 
 
 A ufeful colour enough for 
 common purpofes ; fome paint- 
 ers ufe it for jQiades in flefli, 
 but very improperly, for it is 
 a very raw colour crude or cal- 
 cined, and only fit to be ufed 
 in drapery or back grounds. 
 
 Thefe are all the colours 
 that ought to be ufed for paint- 
 ing in encauftic, with the 
 pencil ; there are a few more 
 that might be employed in this 
 manner, but as they are ra- 
 ther 
 
§6 Encaujlk Painting. * . ,. 
 
 ther inferior in quality, or only 
 compounds of thofe already 
 mentioned, I omit them ; a 
 few, not commonly ufed in 
 oil painting that notvvithftand- 
 ing might be ufed in encauftic, 
 I (hall mention under the arti- 
 cle of crayons, as they belong 
 more to, and are more ufeful 
 in that way. 
 
 E N- 
 
E N C A U S T I Cj 
 
 O R, 
 
 Method of painting with and 
 fixing of the Crayons. 
 
 'Tp H E method of painting 
 -*- with and fixing of the 
 crayons comes not only within 
 the fenfe of encauftic, but is the 
 very felf-fame thing. The 
 whole proceeding is founded 
 upon the foregoing principle; 
 the fame materials and agent 
 are required. — The only dif- 
 ference between painting in en- 
 cauftic with the pencil, and 
 painting in encauftic with cray- 
 H ons. 
 
98 Rncaujlk Painting. 
 
 ons, confifts in employing the 
 colours ; in the former — ^you 
 paint with colours tempered 
 with water; in the latter — ^you 
 employ, and paint with the 
 fame colours dry ; the effedt 
 and folidity will be equal and 
 the fame in both. — 
 
 The encomiums I beftowed 
 upon the penciling fyftem, are 
 applicable to that of the cray- 
 ons ; I fliall fay nothing more ; 
 experience will be the beft pa - 
 negyrift. I am afraid crayons, 
 as feemingly the lefs trouble- 
 fome, will carry the golden 
 apple ; I will not anticipate the 
 decifion of the public. — I (hall 
 give the hint^ and my fellow 
 
 artifts 
 
Encaiijlic Painting. 99 
 
 artifts may make ufe of it as 
 they pleafe. — 
 
 As the fyftem of encauflic 
 for the pencil is the parent of 
 that for the -crayons, and as 
 both may be happily blended 
 and jointly pradifed to good 
 purpofe, I fhall, to avoid tire- 
 fomely repeating the fame thing 
 over again, refer the reader to 
 the former procefs whenever 
 limilarities ot proceeding oc- 
 cur ; they, befides comment- 
 ing each other, will open to 
 the more timorous artift a freer 
 field of adion. As I did in 
 the former, io fliall I in this, 
 give that method of proceed- 
 H 2 ing, 
 
lOo Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 ing, which by experience I 
 found to be the beft. 
 
 Though this fyftem did not 
 enter in the original plan of 
 publication with the other, 
 and I intended to withold it 
 from the public a little longer, 
 to fee what reception the 
 former fhould meet with ; yet 
 as it got vent by fhewing 
 it to few friends, and a gentle- 
 man offering me (in his opini- 
 on) a confiderable reward to dif- 
 pofe of the fecret in his favour 
 only, I, to prevent fome mo- 
 dern Pliny's cafting more di- 
 rect reflexions upon me, with- 
 out my having the fkill of A- 
 pelles to uphold my reputation, 
 
 at 
 
Encaujik Painting. loi 
 
 at leaft thought proper to give 
 them to the pubHc both at 
 once. To make difcoveries that 
 may be of infinite advantage to 
 arts, fubfervient to private ava- 
 rice, is the foible of a weak, 
 jealous, and ill-natured mind* 
 — Here follows theprocefs; and 
 firft the preparation of the 
 cloth. 
 
 H 3 ART. 
 
102 Encaupic Painting. 
 
 ART. I. 
 
 PreparatioTt of the cloth^ or pa- 
 fer^ for painting with crayons. 
 
 T?IRST method to prepare 
 ^ the cloth without paper. 
 
 Take any fort of Hnen cloth 
 whofe texture is pretty clofe 
 and even, ftretch it upon a 
 ftraining frame and rub it on 
 the back with a piece of wax, 
 as direded under Art. the firft, 
 page 26. your cloth waxed, 
 prepare any tint or colour you 
 like, or judge beft for a ground 
 to work upon, let enter into 
 the com.pofition of this tint or 
 colour, cne half, or at leaft 
 
 one 
 
Encaujlic Painting. 103 
 
 one third of chalk or whiten- 
 ing, mix and temper al! with 
 pure water ; your tint ready, 
 paint-over your cloth with it 
 on that fide you are to paint 
 upon, and lay the colour on 
 pretty even and fubftantially ; 
 this colour or ground dry, 
 bring the canvas near the fire, 
 as under Art. the fourth, page 
 :^5. and the wax melting will 
 fix that colour or ground, 
 which when cool will be a fit 
 and firm body to work up- 
 on with crayons. Note, if the 
 quantity of" wax (hould prove 
 too fmali for , the quantity of 
 colour, apply with a brulh on 
 the back fome wax diflblved 
 in turpentine, as defcribed in 
 H 4 the 
 
I04 Encaujiic Painting^- 
 
 the next page, and bring the 
 canvas again to the fire. It is 
 effential in painting with cray- 
 ons to have the firft ground 
 properly prepared. 
 
 Second method^ to prepare cloth 
 with paper pajied thereon. 
 
 np A K E Hnen cloth and 
 ^ ftretch it upon a frame 
 as the foregoing ; then make a 
 pafte with fine wheat flour, 
 or ftarch and water, and when 
 the pafte is near boiled enough, 
 put in and mix with it of com- 
 mon horfe-turpentine, about 
 half an ounce to fix ounces of 
 pafte, ftir it well together, and 
 let it fimmer five or fix mi- 
 nutes 
 
Encaujlk Painting. 105 
 
 nutes longer; then take it from 
 the fire and fet it by to cool a 
 little, and while it is ftill to- 
 lerably warm, pafte your paper 
 (grey, blue or white) to the 
 cloth in the ufual manner, and 
 fet it by to dry. — In the mean 
 time put wax, broken in fmall 
 pieces, to diffolve in oil of 
 turpentine near a fire, and in 
 fuch proportion that, when 
 diffolved and cold, it will be 
 of confiftence like a thin pafte, 
 and fluent enough to be ma- 
 naged with a brufli.— When 
 your cloth and paper is per- 
 fedly dry, hold it over or be- 
 fore a fire, at a convenient 
 diftance, and with a brufli ap- 
 ply the diflTolved wax on both 
 
 fides 
 
ic6 Encauftic Painting. 
 
 fides to cloth and paper, and 
 continue laying on wax till you 
 perceive both furfaccs e(]ually 
 fhining, and there be no im- 
 bibed-like fpot remaining ; this 
 done, let your cloth ftand be- 
 fore the fire about half an hour 
 longer, (or in fumrner in the 
 fijnj and, the oil of turpentine 
 evaporating, the wax will be- 
 come firm again, and be fit to 
 receive any tint or colour for a 
 ground to work upon, which 
 you muft lay on and fix as the 
 foregoing upon cloth without 
 paper, and when cool you may 
 go to work. 
 
 ART, 
 
E?tcaujiic Painting. 107 
 
 A R T. II. 
 
 Of the crayons their prepa- 
 ration and ufe. 
 
 "PREPARATION. There is no 
 -*- particular or uncommon 
 preparation or compofition re- 
 quired for encauftic, all cray- 
 ons hitherto commonly ufed 
 may be employed ; fome great 
 lights only will be wanted for 
 every fet of tints ; for what has 
 been faid on colours, and their 
 growing deeper when fixed 
 with wax, penciling fyflem Art. 
 II. page 29, 30. holds equally 
 here ; therefore every artiit, 
 that may be inclined to make 
 a trial in this manner, will do 
 
 well 
 
io8 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 well to make an effay of all his 
 tints, by preparing a piece of 
 cloth as direded in the fore- 
 going article, and giving a few 
 ftrokes of each crayon and fix- 
 ing it, this will immediately 
 fhew what new tints will be 
 wanted. 
 
 In compofing any new tint 
 it will be well to leave out ful- 
 lers-earth, pipe- clay, chalk, and 
 other calcarious matters * which 
 aregenerally ufed in the common 
 way ; the former — to bind the 
 
 loofer 
 
 * Fullers-earth, pipe-clay, chalk, 5cC. 
 ought to be left out, becaufe they fink fo very 
 low when fixed with wax, and impart a great 
 dullnefs to all thofe tints wherein they prevail ; 
 pipe-clay and fullers-earth a dufky tranfparent 
 gray; chalk, a yellowifh-white no-colour. 
 
Encaujiic Painting. 109 
 
 loofer colours; the latter — to 
 keep up the flake-white and 
 white-lead, which otherwife 
 would turn black ; in encauftic 
 thofe matters are wanted for 
 none of the above ends ; flake- 
 white and white-lead will not 
 change, and both together will 
 make a body fufficiently con- 
 neded to bind the Hghter tints. 
 
 All colours ufed in oil and 
 mentioned in the foregoing lift, 
 are good for crayons, and no^ 
 others. 
 
 Note. What has been faid at 
 the end of the lift of colours, 
 that a few more colours, not 
 commonly employed in oil, 
 
 might 
 
1 1 o Encaujiic PamWig. 
 
 might be ufed for crayons, was 
 a miftake of the author's upon 
 his experimental table; there 
 are but two more that may be 
 ufed for crayons, viz. bice and 
 verditer. 
 
 The ufe of the crayons in en- 
 cauftic is the very fame as com- 
 monly pradifed, there is no 
 difference; you muft work and 
 paint upon the waxed ground 
 as you do upon the bare pa- 
 per. Encauftic has the advan- 
 tage over the common way as 
 to expedition. The fine gritti- 
 nefs procured by the particles 
 of the chalk mixed with the 
 ground you work upon, will 
 ^/^ ofi more colour from the 
 
 crayon 
 
Encaujlic Painting, iii 
 
 crayon than the grain of the 
 unwaxed paper ; and the wax 
 diffufed through the ground 
 will retain the colours better ; 
 fo that when you fweeten your 
 tints with your finger there 
 will be no wafte ; for in work- 
 ing, the particles of the colour 
 will intrude themfelves into the 
 body of the wax, which yields 
 to them ; which paper, bare or 
 prepared with a ground tem- 
 pered with gum or fize, does 
 not. 
 
 ART. 
 
12 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 ART. IIL 
 
 How to fx the crayons. 
 
 O R fixing the crayons you 
 niuft adl and proceed in 
 every refped, according to the 
 directions given penciling Jyji em 
 Art. VI. page 35, 36, 8cc. you 
 may retouch, and apply the 
 diflolved wax on the back, and 
 bring the pidure to the fire as 
 often as required. 
 
 Ohfer- 
 
Encaujlk Painti?2g. i r 3 
 
 Ohfef'vations on the fyftem for 
 painting with crayons. 
 
 T? O R painting with crayons 
 •*■ T fhould prefer cloth pre- 
 pared according to the firft 
 method, without paper, for the 
 fame reafon I gave for deviating 
 from Count Caylus's fyftem, 
 page 48, 49. however, artifts 
 may decide for themfelves. 
 
 Befides the two methods 
 mentioned for preparing the 
 cloth, one might paint upon 
 paper pafted upon cloth as di- 
 redled, without firft laying on 
 any wax or preparatory ground ; 
 but fuch paintings would not 
 have that lafting folidity they 
 I ought; 
 
114 Encaufiic Painting: 
 
 ought ; befides, laying on a 
 ground preparatory and analo- 
 gous in hue to the fubjedt to 
 be painted, is more expeditious, 
 as fuch a ground may be made 
 to ferve tor a half tint, and an- 
 fwers the purpofe of dead co- 
 louring. 
 
 Turpentine enters in the 
 pafte for one great and princi- 
 pal end, viz. to keep the par- 
 ticles of the pafte a little afun- 
 der, and facilitate to the wax 
 a free paffage through it ; for 
 the particles of turpentine dif- 
 fufed through the pafte, in 
 melting, when the picture is 
 brought near the fire, open fb 
 many equi-diftant channels for 
 the wax, which, by this means, 
 
 can 
 
Encaujiic Painting, 1 1 5 
 
 can penetrate freely and uni- 
 formly, and difFufe itfelf over 
 the whole in equal proportion ; 
 without the turpentine it would 
 not fucceed fo well ; the wax 
 would only come through here 
 and there; the colours would 
 in a manner be calcined before 
 a fufficient quantity could pe- 
 netrate ■ to fecure them ; for 
 though there will be w^ax e- 
 nough for the firft fixing, yet, 
 to alter or retouch, or where an 
 extraordinary great body of co- 
 lours might be employed, there 
 might be a deficiency of wax, 
 which cannot be fupplied other- 
 wife than by laying it on, on 
 the back, and if it could not 
 1 2 w^ork 
 
1 1 6 Encauftic Painting. 
 
 work its its paflage through 
 the whole might mifcarry. * 
 
 As few artifts compofe the 
 crayons themfelves, and as infert- 
 ing diredions for that purpofe 
 would have fwelled this treatife 
 too much ; the author, for the 
 conveniency of all praditioners 
 has given the recipe of pro- 
 portion for compofing every 
 tint for what it is to be when 
 fixed, to Mr. Sandys, colour 
 merchant, in Dirty-lane Long- 
 acre, of whom perfed fets may 
 
 be 
 
 * Old crayon pictures may be fixed very 
 well ; the pafte becoming old loofes its cohefioii ; 
 the wax may freely and uniformly penetrate 
 through ; they will want retouching. If aay 
 artift has a mind to try, he may do it with fome 
 infignificant fubje^ for fear of mifcarrying on st 
 firfl tryal. 
 
Rncaujiic Painting. 117 
 
 be had ; and as the author has 
 communicated the recipe^ for 
 binding the moft difficult co- 
 lours, * for the benefit of the 
 art, without fee or reward 
 whatfoever, thofe crayons will 
 be fold at the ufual price. At 
 the above place, may be had 
 cloth or paper ready prepared 
 on ihiort notice. 
 
 However, if any artift fliould 
 chufe to prepare the crayons 
 himfelf, he will do well to 
 leave out the pipe-clay, fullers- 
 earth, chalk, &c, as much as 
 polTible, and mix his tints as 
 1 3 ufual. 
 
 . * If this treatlfe {hould meet with fuch ap- 
 probation as to require a fecond edition, the 
 recipe for the compofing of Qrayons will be 
 inferted at full length. 
 
ii8 Encauftic Painting. 
 
 iifual. The ftandard recom- 
 mended under Art. II. page 
 2g, 30. and explained />/^^^ 55, 
 56. will be of fervice for afcer- 
 taining beforehand the value of 
 each tint. 
 
 If any crayon prepared for 
 the old way, fhould prove too 
 hard for this, as may be the 
 cafe with vermilion, bice, 
 verditer, and the other loofer 
 colours, in whofe compofition 
 enters a little pafte to bind 
 them, fprinkle thofe crayons 
 with a brufli dipt in fpirit of 
 wine, and they will become 
 manageable. 
 
 G E 
 
 N E' 
 
Rncaujlic Painting, 119 
 
 General Remarks 
 
 On the apparent charaSter^ of 
 encaujiic paintings y on wax 
 and varnijh. 
 
 flT^ H E principal apparent 
 "^ charaders of an encauftic 
 painting are, 
 
 1. The colours have all the 
 airinefs of water colours, and 
 all the ftrength of paintings in 
 oil, without partaking of the 
 apparent charader, or defeds 
 of either, 
 
 2 . You may look at and en- 
 joy a pidure in any light ; the 
 colours are bright, frefh and 
 
 I 4 lively 
 
I20 Encaufiic Painting. 
 
 lively without glaring. They 
 require no varnifh. 
 
 3. The colours are firm, 
 without being brittle, and will 
 bear Icratching without re- 
 ceiving any harm. 
 
 The efFefl; of the colours is 
 the fame in both fyftems, each 
 will have and preferve its pecu- 
 liar charader, as to the manner 
 of painting ; if you paint your 
 fubjed in the light and airy 
 ftile of the Carlo Marat fchool, 
 when the colours will be fixed 
 you will have the high colour- 
 ing of Rubens. 
 
 On 
 
"7^ 
 
 Rncmjlic Painting. 121 
 
 On WAX, 
 
 It is not material for me 
 to decide which of the two 
 ought to be preferably employ- 
 ed, bees-wax fimple, or virgin- 
 wax. — For large works that 
 will be expofed to the air, I 
 fhould prefer the former ; ar- 
 tifts will fee by a few trials 
 which will fuit their tafte beft. 
 
 On VARNISH. 
 
 Varnifhes are not required, 
 as has already been obfer- 
 ved ; but as our eyes have 
 been ufed fo much to fee co- 
 lours, not in their natural hue, 
 but difguifed by varnifli, thofe 
 
 that 
 
122 Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 that lliould like to pleafe them- ' 
 felves in this point may ufe the 
 following method, 
 
 Firft lay on with a clean 
 fpunge a fubftantial lay of the 
 white of eggs, and work it well 
 upon the pidlure. This dry/ 
 lay on any varnidi commonly 
 ufed for oil-painting, and your 
 pifture will look as if painted 
 with oil-colours. 
 
 This varnifli may be taken 
 off at pleafure, the uppermoft 
 by rubbing the furface^of the 
 pidlure with a rag dipped in 
 fpirit of wine or turpentine, 
 the white of eggs by wafhing 
 the pidure with water. It is 
 
 not 
 
Encaujiic Painting. 123 
 
 not advifeable to lay a varnifli 
 of fpirits or gums, without iirft 
 ufing the white of eggs, as 
 fpirit of turpentine is the men- 
 ft ru urn of wax. 
 
 E X. 
 
124 Encauftic Painting' 
 
 "*. ■ 
 
 EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 'T^ O adopt and pradife in 
 ^ earneft any new fyftem 
 without fufEcient trials and 
 proofs of its merit, may be 
 called going wilfully aftray. — 
 To avoid deceiving myfelf in 
 the new fyftem before us, I, 
 after having been convinced of 
 its advantageous pradicability, 
 fct about to afcertain the other 
 great point, the ftabiiity of the 
 colours; for this end, and to 
 know more exadly how much 
 every colour would vary from 
 its original hue in a certain 
 fpace of time, as well in re- 
 gard to the fame fyftem as in 
 
 oppo*- 
 
Encaujik Painting. 225 
 
 oppofition to oil-colours, I pro- 
 ceeded as follows. 
 
 Experiment the fir fi and prin- 
 cipal, 1757. 
 
 I had all the colours ufed 
 in oil painting, mentioned in 
 the foregoing lift, carefully- 
 ground with water, at Mr. 
 Sandys's, colour-merchant, and 
 from thofe colours I compofed 
 ninety various and fenfibly dif- 
 fering tints, for flefh, drapery 
 and landfcape ; of each tint 
 I had a quantity of a two 
 ounce gallipot full, tempered 
 with water; fo I left them well 
 fcreened from duft till they 
 were become dry again ; then f 
 
 divided 
 
126 EncauJIic Painting. 
 
 divided each mafs of tint in 
 four equal parts ; two of each 
 I fet by for the comparative 
 ufe, the other two parts of each 
 I employed in the following 
 manner. 
 
 One part of each I tempered 
 again with water^ and painted 
 with it over a fpace of cloth of 
 fix inches wide and two inches 
 high, the tints clofe to each 
 other, in the manner of cop- 
 per-plate, page 58. and the 
 cloth waxed as directed y^rt. 
 IV. page 26, The fame I did 
 with the entire and unmixed 
 colours. 
 
 The 
 
Encauftic Painting. 127 
 
 The other parts of each tint 
 I tempered with the fineft nut- 
 oil according to cuftom, and 
 painted-over with them fuch 
 another fpace of fix inches by 
 two, as the former, upon oil- 
 cloth. The fame I did with 
 the entire colours, and fet them 
 by to dry; when dry, I brought 
 the encauftic tints near the fire, 
 and by melting the wax fixed 
 them. 
 
 My tints thus ready, I cut 
 each piece of cloth, encauftic 
 and oil-tints, in five equal 
 parts, and difpofed of a piece 
 of each in the following man- 
 ner. 
 
 X. One 
 
J 28 Encaufnc Painting. 
 
 1. One piece of each I ex- 
 pofed in the open air to all the 
 injuries of fun, dew, wind and 
 rain. 
 
 2. One piece of each I nail- 
 ed to a wall in a damp cellar- 
 like room. 
 
 3. One piece of each I nail- 
 ed' to the cieling of a kitchen 
 and near the chimney, where all 
 the year round a fire was kept. 
 
 4. One piece of each I nail- 
 ed to the fide of a room I ufu- 
 ally inhabited. 
 
 5. One piece of each I put 
 between feveral quires of paper, 
 
 and 
 
EiKauJlic Pai7tttng. i 2 9 
 
 and confined them in a clofe 
 drawer deprived of air. 
 
 Thus I left them, till the 
 latter end of Odober. 1759, 
 (the fpace of tvventy-feven 
 months) when I gathered them. 
 Then I took the two parts of 
 tints I had fet by and prefer- 
 ved, and tempering the one 
 with w^ater, and the other with 
 oil, painted the firft upon a 
 frelli piece of waxed cloth and 
 fixed them, the other tem- 
 pered with oil, I painted 
 upon a frefh piece of oil- 
 cloth, and after having wafhed 
 the old tints, on comparing the 
 new and old colours together 
 found as follows. 
 
 K The 
 
130 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 The old encauftic entire co- 
 lours and tints of number i, 
 feemed to have fujffered a con- 
 jfiderable change in oppofition 
 to the new ones, but compared 
 to their old fellows in oil they 
 looked bright. 
 
 I wafhed them both with 
 common water, and a brufh^ 
 the encauftic tints recovered 
 a little ; oil-tints not. 
 
 I brought the encauftic to 
 the fire, and moft tints reco- 
 vered their original hue, and 
 were equal to the new ones, 
 
 finks^yellow-orpimenty lake^ ter- 
 ra di Siena^ and verditer ex- 
 cepted. 
 
Encaujiic Painting. 1 3 1 
 
 cepted ; the firft was partly 
 gone, what remained was dull ; 
 the fecond was grown whiter ; 
 lake grown lighter, but had not 
 fufFered in beauty of colour j 
 terra di Siena crude, grown 
 rough and dirty ; verditer^ a 
 little dull. 
 
 No. 3. feemed to have fuf- 
 fered by the fmoke ; but after 
 walliing it with a ftout brufh, 
 and foap and water, it recovered 
 its original hue, pi7ihs^ yellow- 
 orpimerit^ fmalt and verditer 
 excepted ; the firft was fenhbly 
 decayed ; the fecond grovv^n 
 darker, inclining towards red-- 
 orpiment; the third grown dul), 
 but mixed with Pruffian-blue 
 K 2 1% 
 
132 Encaujiic Painting. 
 
 it was as bright as the new; 
 verditer grown dark and dull. 
 
 No. 2, 4, 5. were juft as 
 the new ones, there was no dif- 
 ference. 
 
 Oil colours did not ftand the 
 tefl: fo well ; their general ap- 
 pearance in oppofition to old 
 and new encauftic, — was : 
 
 No I. weak, dull and dim^ 
 fome entirely gone. 
 
 No. 2. freckled, of all forts 
 of hues, not to be wafhed off. 
 
 No. 3. darker, fome dull, 
 others dirty, fome entirely gone. 
 
 No. 4. 
 
Encaujiic Pai7tting. 133 
 
 No. 4. confiiderably yellow- 
 er, and lefs bright. 
 
 No. 5. yellow- fpotted, as 
 if varniCbed with gall. 
 
 The foregoing tints were all 
 fixed with virgin wax, which 
 I thought the beft ; but having 
 at the fame time and with the 
 fame colours painted upon cloth 
 waxed with common yellow 
 bees-wax, I found that the 
 latter in the open air preferved 
 the colours rather better. 
 
 K 3 Expe- 
 
134 ^^caujltc Painting. 
 
 Experiment the fecond. 
 
 I wafLed the foregoing tints 
 ivith a Jlrong lixivium of pot- 
 ajh^ mnegar^ fpirit of wine^ a 
 
 folution of fea falt^ and aqua 
 
 fortis. 
 
 By this operation the oil- 
 colours were entirely deftroyed, 
 the encauftic fuffered nothing, 
 only fnalt grew darker ; but 
 after fcraping it and bringing 
 it again to the fire, it recovered 
 its tone. 
 
 I have ftill a litde fcrap of 
 a pifture, a landfcape, by me, 
 which has undergone all the 
 
 above- 
 
"Encaujlic Painting. 135 
 
 abovementioned trials and more, 
 for I took it from the frame 
 and folded it in four, put it 
 upon the frame again, and 
 brought to the fire and the 
 folds difappeared, — the colours 
 are as frefh as if painted but 
 yefterday. On examining it 
 clofe one may perceive it fuf- 
 fered violence, but at a yard's 
 diftance no marks appear. 
 
 Experiment on oil-colours. 
 
 Having perceived that oil- 
 colours, painted upon a waxed 
 ground always appeared bright- 
 er upon an oil-cloth ; I, to 
 come at the knowledge of the 
 caufe of this effed, contrived 
 K 4 various 
 
136 Encaujiic Pai?tting. 
 
 various experiments, but with- 
 out fliccefs ; at laft I made 
 microfcopical obfervations, and 
 found that oil-colours painted 
 upon an oil-cloth undergo a 
 great fermentation, five or fix 
 hours after being laid on, and 
 continue fo till they are dry. 
 Then they begin to overcaft, 
 and by degrees cover the lur- 
 face with a yellowifh, grey fub- 
 fiance, not to be wafhed or 
 rubbed off but with a knife. 
 
 Among the very fame colours 
 painted upon an encauftic 
 ground I could perceive no 
 fuch fermentation, or overcaft- 
 ing. — From this we may con- 
 jedure that the priming, or 
 
 ground 
 
Encaujlic Painting. 
 
 i^ 
 
 0/ 
 
 ground we work upon is more 
 the caufe of the colours chan- 
 ging than the colours them- 
 felves, very likely owing to 
 the defecated faline particles of 
 the oil, which are diffolved by 
 and mix with the new oil and 
 colours ; or to the fuperabun- 
 dant quantity of falts contain- 
 ed in the ground or priming, 
 which is generally compofed 
 of the coarfeft oil and colours, 
 and frequently half chalk. 
 
 Though this latter experiment 
 has nothing to do with e?icaujiic^ 
 it will find its application and 
 
 owner. 
 
 To 
 
138 Encauftic Painting. 
 
 To prove the ftability of 
 encauftic colours, I have men- 
 tioned but tv/o experiments ; 
 they are fufficient ; from them 
 we may draw the following 
 
 CONCLU SION s. 
 
 Firft, that encauftic colours, 
 having refifted the injuries of 
 the weather better than qil-co- 
 lours, for the fpace of twenty- 
 feven months, they will prove 
 more lafting than oil-colours 
 for a greater fpace of time. 
 
 Secondly, that having re- 
 fifted the effeds of the corro- 
 fives, alkali and aqua fortis^ 
 &c- the circumambient air, 
 howfoever impregnated with 
 
 faline 
 
EncauJJic Pai?ttmg. 139 
 
 faline particles, cannot affedt 
 them. 
 
 Thirdly, that if pictures of 
 this kind receive any hurt, fire 
 will reftore them. 
 
 The moft celebrated men of 
 antiquity, celebrated the per- 
 formances of their painters ; if 
 their colours had not been as 
 lafting as their fkill was great, 
 fome one might have left us 
 regretful inftances. They left 
 us none. 
 
 Was Wax the prefer ver of 
 their colours ? 
 
 FINIS. 
 
Advertisement. 
 
 As the foregoing Treatife is written and 
 publiihed with an intention to commu- 
 nicate a difcovery that will prove of infinite ad- 
 vantage to the lovelieft of arts, in all its 
 branches ; the author, confcious of wanting the 
 necefTary qualifications of a writer in a language 
 not natural to him, hopes for indulgence, for 
 all the inaccuracies and improprieties of ex- 
 preffion he may and mufl: have fallen into : as 
 to fads, he begs leave to afTure the public, that 
 nothing has been advanced but what is ftri6lly 
 true. 
 
 If any artifl or others fhould in pra£i:ifing he 
 at a lofs or ftand for any thing, the author 
 fhall always be willing and ready to give them 
 farther light on any occafion. 
 
 The treatife on Practical Painting in general, 
 which was to have been publifhed together with 
 this, as has been intimated to the public in an 
 advertifement of the third of January, will 
 be publifhed as foon as poflible ; the author be- 
 ing engaged in a work of a very extenfive na- 
 ture, had not time to bring it in perfect order 
 himfelf ; a gentleman and friend of his has been 
 fo kind as to undertake the finifhing and cor- 
 reding of it ; it will foon be ready for the prefs. 
 
Table of Contents. 
 
 INtrodudlory account of Encauftic 
 Painting — — page i 
 
 Article the firft, preparation of the 
 cloth for painting in encauftic 26 
 
 Art. the fecond, of the colours y and 
 their preparation and ife — 29 
 
 Art. the third, how to paint- over 
 or alter a?2y part before the piclure 
 has been near the fire — 33 
 
 Art. the fourth, how to fix the co- 
 lours — — 35 
 
 Art. the fifth, how to retouch any part 
 after the colours are fixed — 40 
 
 Obfervations on Art. the firft 41 
 
 Coujit Caylus*s method of pre- 
 paring the cloth — 43 
 
 Reafons for deviating from the 
 
 count's method — — 45 
 
 How to paint upon walls 49 
 
 How to paint upon woody fione^ 
 
 &c. — — 50 
 
 How to paint upon paper 5 1 
 
 Obfervations on Art. the fecond 5 on 
 
 grinding the colours — 53 
 
 — How 
 
Table of Contents. 
 
 — ' — How to a/certain the juji value 
 of each colour — — 55 
 
 Obfervations on Art. the third, ad^ 
 *va.:tages of Encaujtic-painting over 
 oil and fze-pai?2ting — - 60 
 
 Obfervations on Art. the fourth, 17^- 
 rious methods for applying the fire to 
 a pi5lure -^ — — 63 
 
 Obfervations on Art. the fifth, on re- 
 touching after the colours are fixed 
 
 Lift of the colours, "white — 74 
 
 Yellows — — 76 
 
 Finks — 82 
 
 Reds — — 84 
 
 T^erra di Siena and terra verte 
 
 88 
 
 • Blues — — 91 
 
 ' Blacks ~ 92 
 
 Coll ens earth — 94 
 
 Umbra — '- — 95 
 
 Method of painting with and fixing 
 
 of the crayons — 97 
 
 Art. the fir ft, firft method to prepare 
 
 the cloth — — 102 
 
 — — Seco?2d fnethod — 104 
 
 I Art. 
 
Table of Contents. 
 
 Art. the fecond, of the crayo7is \ their 
 ' preparation — 107 
 
 ■- And life — 1 1 o 
 
 Art. the third, how to fix the crayom. 
 
 1 12 
 Obfervations on the fftefu for painting 
 
 with crayons — 1 1 1 
 
 Remarks on the apparent charader of 
 
 encauftic paintings — 1 1 g 
 
 On wax — — 121 
 
 On varniflo — ibid. 
 
 Experiments — — 124 
 
 Fir ft — — 125 
 
 Second - — 134 
 
 Experiments on oil-colours 13 r 
 
 Conclufions — • — i^S 
 
$^ 
 
 «Mli 
 

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