Methods employed in Rncavftic Painting. 407 



with it may be kept feveral months, in bottles clofely flop- 

 ped, after a little brandy or ipirit of wine is added to it, and 

 wfll be good even at the end vi feveral years. 



The colours moiiiened with the folution of gum traga- 

 canth muft, for the greater convenience, be ground with 

 pure water, and afterwards with the above-mentioned pre- 

 paration, till they become exceedingly fine ; and they may 

 then be employed for painting all forts of figures or land- 

 scapes in arabefquc, in the manner of diftempcr or de gauche. 

 When they are perfectly dry, they arc then covered with 

 white liquid wax, warmed by burning coals placed in a 

 chaffing-difh : when the wax begins to melt, it is fpread out 

 by means of a badger-hair brufli, to render it every where 

 equal ; and when cool, a poliih and luftre are given to it with 

 a proper rubber or piece of foft cloth. 



The fecond method of preparation, which was found 

 more convenient, is the following : Having put an equal 

 quantity of white wax grated and of 2Tim arabic in an earthen 

 veffel, with as much water as may be neceffary to render it 

 more or lefs thick, according to pleafure, the fame procefs 

 is then to be followed as in the preceding cafe : the colours 

 muft be finely ground with this mixture, and may then be 

 employed for painting. 



Thefe two preparations were employed with great fuccefs, 

 ibr three years, to paint various pictures, decorations and 

 ornaments, ordered by the empreis of Ruflia ; and the 

 tranfparency of the colours produced a moft brilliant effect. 

 In the beginning of the year 1791 the three ableft artifts in 

 mtcaujlo, M. dell' Era, in the hiftorical line ; M. Cam- 

 povecchio for landscapes ; and M. Vincent Angeloni for 

 arabefque ornaments, ufed them with a very happy effe6f., 

 and the pieces they produced were not inferior in luftre and 

 brilliancy to the linell paintings in oil mixed with varnifh. 

 Several trials were made in this way on walls, wood, cloth, 

 paper, copper, and marble ; and it was found that paintings 

 on the latter i'ubftances could be vvaihed by means of a fponge 

 P d 4 dipped 



