On Encauflk Painting. 1-7 



of an elegant villa near this city, which in my opinion 

 would certainly preferve them from that decay through 

 which they are advancing with rapid fteps to deftru&ion ; 

 For it appears from the words of Vitruvius, that encauftum 

 was ufed in the time of the Romans to cover parts which had 

 been already painted either with water colours or in frefco. 

 I judge, from the analogy of cited, that -this was the fubftance 

 with which Apelles daubed over his paintings, and which, 

 according to Pliny, made them appear as if covered by a thin 

 plate of talc or transparent felenlte, and gave the colours a 

 wonderful foftnefs. In the ancient cedar oil I can diftingiiim 

 only the more modern acqUa ragia, or fpirit of turpentine; 

 confequently that, or naptha, was the oily matter which the 

 ancient painters muft have ufed for their encauftic works. 



As experiments made both by analyfis and combination 

 were favourable to my idea, I flatter myfelf that I have ap- 

 proached nearer the truth than the preceding celebrated 

 writers, whofe researches were indeed highly ufeful and 

 meritorious, and among which the illuftralions of the 

 learned Requeno deferve much praife. Should this be 

 wanted. I mall think myfelf well rewarded for my trifling 

 labour ; and iiothing remains but to exprefs a fincere Wifli 

 that I may fee the above method extended to all thofe pur- 

 pofes to which it was applied by the ancients, that is, to 

 preferve paintings in water colour.;, or on plafter, and 

 fculptured pieces of marble. Were our public ftatues covered 

 with encauftum, as was the cafe formerly, according to 

 Vitruvius and Juvenal, the dark mofs {lichen) would not 

 adhere to their pores, which disfigures their whitenefs, and 

 renders them black; and to which the attracting of ox) 

 een by carbon may perhaps fomewhat contribute. Were 

 paintings a frefco and a tempera covered with wax in this 

 manner, Florence would not have loft I'o many mafter r 

 pieces by Giovanni and Andrea, which it once poflcfled; 

 Lalilv, were this plaftic varniih ufed, after the method of 

 Apelles, to give equality to the tone of the colours, and to 

 L % prefer' e 



