212 ON PAINTING WITH MILK. 



XI. 



Obferralions on the Method of painting with Milk. By 

 Citizen Darcet, Member of the Lyceum of Arts, and 

 . Effayer of Money, *' 



Importance of 'LJPON reading the different articles of the Decade Philo- 

 ftoM matter C for fo P nic l ue > in which the method of painting in milk is men- 

 fize in painting, tioned, and on examining the theory which Cadet-de-Vaux 

 has developed refpecling this ufeful application of our che- 

 mical knowledge, I perceived how important it would be if 

 we could fitbftitute the cafeous or cheefy matter, which we 

 pollefs in fuch great quantities, to glue or fize, which is 

 commonly ufed in painting in diilemper, and by this means 

 to appropriate that fubftance to paper-hangings and other arts, 

 for which it is an article of the firft neceftity. I apprehended 

 that the procefs of this new method of painting was fufceptible 

 of being rendered more fimple, and I endeavoured to ftudy 

 the different phenomena in order to afcertain what fubftance 

 might be left out in part, or even wholly, without altering 

 the goodnefs of the colour. This examination has enabled 

 me to make the following obfervations, which may ferve as a 

 fupplement to the memoir publifhed on that fubjecVf 

 Hiftorlcal re- I (hall not attempt to folve the queftion, whether painting 



marks « j n ^ji^ was k nown to the ancients. The lblution of this 



problem, which is perhaps impracticable, is fcarcely intereft- 

 ing to us. I (hall only remark, that the Indians, who ufed 

 milk to dilute the colours with which they painted the fides of 

 their cabins, appear to have given the firft notion of the ap. 

 plication of a natural mixture of the cafeous part along with 

 the ferous part, to render colouring matter adhefive. j 



For this application we are indebted to Cadet-de-Vaux, 

 who has by thefe means afforded a real fervice to the public, 



* Decade Philof. No. 5, An. X. 



f See Philof. Journal, quarto, V. page 247. 



% Our houfe painters are alfo acquainted with the advantageous 

 uies of milk in infide paintings. They have long ufed a mixture 

 of milk and well warned lime to give a brighter white to delicate 

 ot>ie£ls in relief, in order that they might appear more prominent, 

 from the ceiling painted with the ordinary white-warn.— D. 



by 



