By Mr. T. Gambier Parry. 45 
colours, and a varnish for protection against damp and air. It has 
also the invaluable qualities of durability in itself, permanency of 
colour, transparency, and freedom from any chemical action on the 
most delicate mineral or vegetable colours. 
The other two methods used in wall painting were tempera and 
fresco. The controversy about buon fresco and fresco secco, used 
by the Greek artists, is of no practical consequence to us. There 
is no doubt that buon fresco was used by them ; the question being 
only how far that system was used in the higher branches of art. 
The argument inclines to a peculiar method between the real fresco 
and the secco. Fresco secco is this,—the fresh plaster is allowed 
to set, and thus far only to be secco—the wall is wetted for use, 
and the colours used with lime for white, and lime water for a 
vehicle—whereas the method used by the Greeks and Romans of 
classic days appears to have been this, viz., to lay upon a secco 
wall (i.e. where the plaster had set) a fresh wash of lime, into or 
upon which, before it set, the artist painted ad libitum. 
The methods commonly used in England were various kinds 
of tempera. Real fresco does not appear to have been practised 
‘ in England. There is no evidence of its use in Christian art 
Bach before the time of Cennini. It was probably first used at 
Pisa, in the early part of the fourteenth century. The serious 
objection to fresco of any sort, is, of course, the very limited num- 
ber of colours which will bear the action of lime. Its excellence 
is in the mellowness of its effects, and freedom from a glossy 
i Surface, a quality absolutely necessary for mural painting. But its 
surface, unprotected by any varnish, or coating of any sort—its 
colours held in their places only by the crystallising of the lime 
_ water—its porous, or at least granulated surface, on which damp 
and minute fungi find an easy lodgment, disqualify it from being 
trusted where walls are constantly exposed to an alternation of 
_ damp atmosphere and hot multitudes. 
Tempera painting has many modes of work. Oil is found in 
some of its recipes. ii appears to have been of very ancient use, 
Greek writer, in the time of the Emperor Augustus, describes 
he preparation and the use of drying oils. The monk Eraclius 






