A very proper treatise, wherein is briefly set forth the art of limning, which teaches the order in drawing and tracing of letters, vignettes [1], flowers, Arms, and imagery, and the manner how to make sundry sizes or grounds to lay silver or gold upon, and how silver or gold shall be laid or limned upon the size, and the way to temper gold and silver and other metals and diverse kinds of colors to write or limn with upon vellum, parchment, or paper, and how to lay them upon the work which you intend to make, and how to burnish it when you have done, with divers other things very meet [2] and necessary to be known to gentlemen, and to all other such persons as do delight in limning, painting, or in tricking of arms in their right colors, and therefore a work very meet to be adjoined to the books of Arms, never put in print before this time.
Imprinted in London in Fleet Street within Temple Bar at the sign of the Hand and Star by Richard Tottill. Anno 1573
The order of drawing or tracing.
First you shall with a pencil of black lead [3], or with a tool made sharp at the point trace all your letters, and set your vignette or flowers, and then your imagery if you will make any. And then shall you with a small pen draw all you have portrayed (?), then make your size on this wise [4].
To make a double size or bottom to lay or settle silver or gold upon called an embossed ground.
Take Venice ceruse, white lead, the plaster of an old image or chalk, any of these made in fine powder, and then, ground with the glair of an egg and a little water on a painters stone, makes a good bottom to lay under silver. But when you shall use any of them to lay under gold, do to it put a little saffron therewith to make it somewhat yellow. But beware you put not too much water thereto, for then will it be over weak, and if you do overmuch glair to it, then will it be over stiff, therefore mingle it after discretion, and look your size be thick standing, and set the size thus tempered and covered in a horn or a shell in some cellar or shadowed place, or under the earth where it may stand moist by the space of seven days until it be perfect clammy and rotten, and every day stir it about, and you shall well understand that all the sizes the elder they be and the more clammy, and rotten they be, the better they be, for all the craft is in well making and tempering of the size, and if there stand any (belles) upon the size, put in ear wax, for it is a remedy therefore, and before you lay it on your work, first lay the size on a {scrow} and dry it and when it is dry, bend it, and if it bend, and break not, then it is good and perfect, and if it break, put thereto a little water to make it weaker, and prove if it cleaves fast to the book, and if it do not, then put glair thereto, and make it more steadfast. The like size may you make with gypsum, Armenian bole, red or yellow ochre, orpiment or massicot with Spanish brown or with red lead if every of them be ground by him self and tempered and ordered in manner and form above written.
To make a thin size or bottom to lay or settle silver or gold upon a single ground.
Take the new shreds of glover's leather or of new parchment for that is best, and seethe them in fair water from a quart to a pint that the liquor be somewhat thick and clammy between your fingers, then strain the liquor from the shreds and put it being hot in some stone vessel and so work it forth before it be cold, and when you lay on your silver or gold, see that your size be neither too moist nor too dry, but in a mean between both for dread of (appayring) your work. The like size may you make (without heating them at the fire) of glue water made of parchment glue for that is best, or with water gummed somewhat thick with gum Arabic or good old glair, or with the milk of green figs alone, or with the milk of spourge, or of wartweed, or with the yellow milk of green salendine, or with the juice of garlic or of onion heads or with the water and grease of snails. Upon every of these may you lay your leaves of silver or gold having regard that your ground be neither too moist nor too dry, when you shall lay or settle the same there upon.
To lay a double size on letters or upon other things.
You shall with a brush made of gray amys or calliber tails lay on the size somewhat substantially or if you will first thin and after thicker, and then dry it, and when it is dry, wet it lightly with your spit, and then shave it with a sharp knife until it be even without hills, and if there fall any befault therein, or else there is more in one place than another, lay again your size on it, and dry it and engross [5] it as is said before and when it is engrossed and made plain then burnish it with the tooth of a calf, of an ox, or of a horse that is made therefore standing in a crooked stick, and when it is burnished and made even and shining, then it is ready to lay on it your gold or your silver.
To lay gold or silver on size.
First cut the leaves of gold or silver in pieces in pieces with a sharp knife or a knife made of a great reed upon a little board as broad as a trencher covered with a calves skin raised or under stuffed with wool or flax or else unstuffed, then shall you with a brush wet lightly on your mouth wet lightly on the size, so that it be a little moist, and then wet the brush again in your mouth on the same wise, and touch your gold or silver that you have cut up by a corner lightly, and lay it upon your size, before made a little moist, and then you shall take the tail of a hare, of a coney or a piece of cotton and lightly press it down on your size and when you have thus done let it dry until it be well dried, then burnish it: for if you shall burnish it wet you shall rub off all, and when it is well dried, take the tusk that you do burnish with and dry it and heat it well on your cheek, then burnish your gold first softly and then harder until it shine, but burnish it not overlong, for dread of {apparinge}. And when you have well burnished it, then take a white woolen cloth or a hare's foot, and rub all away, save it which cleaves to the size, and if there be any place faulty, so that the gold fails for dryness of the size, then wet it again and lay on the gold, and dry and burnish it as you did before.
To make gum water to temper colors withal [6].
Take clean water and do it in a vessel and put thereto a portion of gum Arabic and let it stand until the gum be well dissolved and molten in the water, but look it not be over thick of gum then will the color fade and fall off, therefore keep a mean and temper your colors therewith such as it serves best. Note the best gum is clear and brittle that in stamping it, it becomes powder easily without cleaving together.
To make glair for like purpose.
Take the white of new laid eggs as many as you think good, and strain them through a linen cloth to take out the cock treadings, then put them in a dish and ring them through a sponge or a white woolen cloth until they be as thin as water, then wash the sponge or cloth and dry it. And put the glair to {thuse} aforesaid in a stone pot or a glass fast stopped and spend it as soon as you can, for it will not keep above three days, but it will have an ill favor, except they be ordered as follows.
To keep whites of eggs as long as you will without corrupting or putting of arsenic to them.
Take the whites of eggs not breaking them in any wise, but take out the cock treading, and put to them as much of the best white vinegar as shall suffice the quantity of the whites, leaving it so the space of two days then pass it through some linen cloth without breaking or beating the white of the eggs leaving it so the space of eight days, then strain it again and put it in a vial well stopped, to occupy for the purpose above written.
To temper gold or silver wherewith you may write with a pen or paint with a brush.
Take five or six leaves of beaten gold or silver and grind them well and finely on a painters stone with a little honey, then put it into a glass with a quantity of fair water and let it stand one night, then drain the water and the honey afterward form the gold, and put to the gold gum water, and then write with it, and when it is dry burnish it with an ox tooth, also if you grind your leaves of gold with glair only without honey putting to it you may well write therewith in adding to it a little gum water, and with your gold tempered in manner above said you may diaper with a small pen or brush upon colors. If you will buy at the Apothecaries shell gold or shell silver, with the which (being tempered with gum water) you may very well write with a pen, or paint with a brush.
To temper azure or bice [7].
Grind azure or bice on a painter's stone with clean water then put it in a broad glass or in a broad shell, and when it has stood a while all the dregs will float above, and all the clean color will fall to the bottom, then pour out the water with the dregs, and put the azure in clean water again. Then stir the color and the water together, and let it stand and fine, and after that pour out the water and the dregs again, and do this until it be well purged and clarified, for the Apothecaries mingle chalk therewith to multiply it to their profit, but thus you must do to clarify it to the first kind if need be, then shall you grind it again upon a painters stone with gum water, then put it into a horn or a shell, and when you will write or paint, then stir it with a stick and let the stick drop into the pen, for vermillion and this color will fall to the bottom and sink as lead.
His false color [lightened?], two parts azure and one of ceruse and sadded [darkened or shaded?] with the same azure or with black ink or with indigo.
How to make azure and bice sadder if they be of a light color.
Take good blue turnsole and wet it in gum water and then wring it, and with that water temper the azure or bice, or else if you will you may with a brush draw with your turnsole over the bice when it is dry, whether it be vignette or imagery.
To temper indigo
Grind Indigo on a painters stone, with gum water, and put it in a shell to work withal.
His false color, two parts indigo, and the third part white lead or ceruse and sadded with the same Indigo or with sad ink. Indigo of itself makes a dark and sad black, but being ground with white lead or ceruse as is aforesaid, it makes a brown-blue.
To temper smalt [8] or florrey.
Smalt or florrey being tempered in a shell with gum water makes a blue, but not too perfect a color as azure or bice both make. The Apothecaries do put to it often times fine sand or chalk to multiply it to their profit. Therefore in choosing of it, take that which is bright of color, and not harsh, but soft between the fingers.
To temper orpiment or massicot for a yellow.
Grind orpiment and massicott each by itself on a painter s stone with gum water, and in grinding add to the massicot a little saffron, and the color will be livelier: and when they be well ground, put them severally in shells to work withal.
Orpiment may be allayed [lightened?] with chalk and dimmed, that is to say, sadder, or darkened with ochre de Luke, or with Spainish brown.
To temper vermillion
Grind vermillion on a painter's stone, first dry, and then do thereto a little glair of eggs, and grind it again, until the brightness be {fordonne}, with a little of the yolk [of the egg], and let it stand for a day or more, until it be well dried. And when you do work therewith, stir it well together, and if it be thick as lime, do a little water thereto: and if it shall have an ill favor, then put into it three chives of saffron, and it will take away the evil scent.
His false color, two parts vermillion, and the third part ceruse, and mingle them together, if you will, with the same vermillion.
To temper turnsole.
Wet turnsole once or twice, in good thin glair and let it lie therein until it be well steeped. Then wring it into a dish, until the color be good and sadde. With this you may flourish red letters, or {vestures}. And this color shall be enewed (that is to say) darkened or sadded with black ink.
His false color, two parts turnsole and one of ceruse, and it shall be sadded with the same turnsole.
To temper good Roset.
Take the finest and best colored roset, and grind it on a painters stone, and so work it forth. This color may be allayed with chalk or ceruse and may be sadded with him self.
To temper Brazil wherewith to write, flourish, or rule books.
Take Brazil finely scraped, or grossly beaten to powder, and put thereto the glair of an egg, or gum water, and a little alum made in powder, and let them steep a night and day; and then strain out the liquor, and keep it to the use aforesaid.
To temper good Sinoper.
Grind sinopor lake, and sinoper topias each by himself on a painter's stone with good glair. Then put them in several shells, and work them forth: and if they be too light, put to them a little turnsole.
His false color two parts sinoper, and a third of ceruse, and lay it on your vignettes, and when it is dry, sad it with good sinoper, and diaper it over with white ceruse.
To temper red lead
Grind red lead well with gum water, and then put it in a shell: and when you work with it, stir it as you do vermillion.
Of this you shall make no false color, but of himself, and sad it with sinoper, or with good Brown of Spain, or with light black, or with vermillion.
To temper black lead.
Grind well black lead with gum water on a painters stone, and then put it in a shell to work withal. This is a perfect crane color of itself.
To temper Spanish Brown
Grind good brown with gum water on a painters stone, and when it is very well ground put it in a shell. His {false} color two parts brown and the third part of white lead, and sadded with the same sad color of brown.
To temper Ochre of Luke and Ochre (de Rouse) which make brown colors [9].
Ochre of Luke and Ochre {de Rouse} shall (First? --illegible) be severally broken in a brazen [10] mortar, and after ground each by himself on a painter's stone with gum water and mixed with a little chalk, and {enewed} or sadded with good Ochre, or with brown, either of them make a good color for hair on heads, or on beards.
To temper green bice
Take green bice that is soft, and not harsh between the fingers, for if it be harsh, it is mixed with sand, which Apothecaries do use oftentimes to multiply it to their gain. And temper it in a shell with gum water, and it will be to work with withal. And when you write, stir this color as you do azure, and wash it, and dress it in form aforesaid: as you do your azure, before you grind it with gum water.
To temper verdigris, called Spanish Green.
Take verdigris well cleaned and picked from dross and motes, and grind it on a painters stone first dry, and put thereto a little of the gall of the Neat [11], and of the juice of rue, with a little saffron, and bray all these together on the same stone. Then put it in a horn, or shell, until it be dry. And when you will occupy it, take part thereof and grind it again with vinegar or verijuice, or with the pis of a young child, every one of them having gum Arabic dissolved in them.
His (false) color two parts, good green, and the third of ceruse, and sadded with a good green, and diaper over it with Venice ceruse.
To temper saffron
Steep saffron in good glair, and so work it forth with a small brush. And if you will, you may (enew) it with good vermillion, with saffron also you may enewe or flourish over letters, or any other thing you will.,
To temper Venice ceruse and white lead.
Grind ceruse, or white lead, each by himself on a painter's stone, with clear water, and therewith you shall diaper and flourish above all your colors with a (purselour) made of a small brush. And this color is tempered only with water, or with water lightly (chasticed) with gum, for they stand above all other colors that be gummed.
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