DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.62783#0028
xviii OF THE COLOURS USED
distinguished with difficulty from lake and carmine—that it was brittle
and should not be suffered to touch iron—that its colour was not
injured by fire, since Borghini, and Eraclius, direct it to be calcined,
in order to grind it more easily; nor by acetic acid, since the same
writers also direct the red hot stone to be quenched in strong red
vinegar—that the reasons for discontinuing its use, were, its scarcity
in Italy, and the difficulty in grinding it—that this colour is men-
tioned by almost all the above authors as being very durable.
It also appears, from the preceding extracts, that Albin was a
mineral, which supplied the place of lake, and was used principally
in frescoa—that Matita Rossa was a soft stone,—that Pabonazo was
a degree lower in tone than Albin, was procured from copper mines,
and was used by painters and gilders, to whom it was known by the
name of Almagre.
The following extracts are the characteristics of Haematite given
by mineralogists.
Georgius Agricola gives a minute description of the varieties of
the Haematite. He says, that the Haematite produces the Rubrica,
(p. 64. of the Venetian edition in Italian)—that it is of the colour of
blood (p. 168),—that being ground on the grindstone it yields a
red juice, while the Schist (another variety), gives more frequently
and a little lake, you may if you please, use black chalk.” Thus getting rid of
the incomprehensible word “majorica,” (the Pons Asinorum of the Spaniard,) and
the lapis duro; changing the majorica, which is red, into brown; and the lapis
duro, which is red also, into black. Umber is always rendered in Italian by
‘ ‘ Terra d’ ombra,” and black chalk by Matita Nera.
The original passage is expressed thus by Leonardo, “ 1’ ombra sara nera,
majorica, e un poco di lacca, o vuoi lapis duro.”
There is no doubt that P. Lomazzo, the personal friend of L. da Vinci, alludes
to this practice of da Vinci’s in the following extract from the Treatise of the
former (Book in, chap, xiv, p. 292), “ Per acquerella e per disegnare in carta,
per il nero ve 1’ inchiostro, la pietra tedescha, la terra nera, et il carbone di salce,
o’ del roncagino ; per il rosso, la pietra rossa detto apisso la quale era usatissima
da Leonardo da Vinci.” I have not been able to find in any dictionary or work
on art a description of a red stone called “ Apissa,” but the same word also
occurs in the “Idea del Tempio della Pittura,” (p. 71,) where Lomazzo calls the
stone used for drawing (which other writers call “ matita ”) Carbone Apissa.
a Pacheco indeed, p. 390, states that some painters used for draperies in oil
Almagre de Levante or Albin, shading them with carmine and black.
distinguished with difficulty from lake and carmine—that it was brittle
and should not be suffered to touch iron—that its colour was not
injured by fire, since Borghini, and Eraclius, direct it to be calcined,
in order to grind it more easily; nor by acetic acid, since the same
writers also direct the red hot stone to be quenched in strong red
vinegar—that the reasons for discontinuing its use, were, its scarcity
in Italy, and the difficulty in grinding it—that this colour is men-
tioned by almost all the above authors as being very durable.
It also appears, from the preceding extracts, that Albin was a
mineral, which supplied the place of lake, and was used principally
in frescoa—that Matita Rossa was a soft stone,—that Pabonazo was
a degree lower in tone than Albin, was procured from copper mines,
and was used by painters and gilders, to whom it was known by the
name of Almagre.
The following extracts are the characteristics of Haematite given
by mineralogists.
Georgius Agricola gives a minute description of the varieties of
the Haematite. He says, that the Haematite produces the Rubrica,
(p. 64. of the Venetian edition in Italian)—that it is of the colour of
blood (p. 168),—that being ground on the grindstone it yields a
red juice, while the Schist (another variety), gives more frequently
and a little lake, you may if you please, use black chalk.” Thus getting rid of
the incomprehensible word “majorica,” (the Pons Asinorum of the Spaniard,) and
the lapis duro; changing the majorica, which is red, into brown; and the lapis
duro, which is red also, into black. Umber is always rendered in Italian by
‘ ‘ Terra d’ ombra,” and black chalk by Matita Nera.
The original passage is expressed thus by Leonardo, “ 1’ ombra sara nera,
majorica, e un poco di lacca, o vuoi lapis duro.”
There is no doubt that P. Lomazzo, the personal friend of L. da Vinci, alludes
to this practice of da Vinci’s in the following extract from the Treatise of the
former (Book in, chap, xiv, p. 292), “ Per acquerella e per disegnare in carta,
per il nero ve 1’ inchiostro, la pietra tedescha, la terra nera, et il carbone di salce,
o’ del roncagino ; per il rosso, la pietra rossa detto apisso la quale era usatissima
da Leonardo da Vinci.” I have not been able to find in any dictionary or work
on art a description of a red stone called “ Apissa,” but the same word also
occurs in the “Idea del Tempio della Pittura,” (p. 71,) where Lomazzo calls the
stone used for drawing (which other writers call “ matita ”) Carbone Apissa.
a Pacheco indeed, p. 390, states that some painters used for draperies in oil
Almagre de Levante or Albin, shading them with carmine and black.