Chap. 25.] A.TRAMEKTUM. 241 



For sometimes it is found exuding from tho earth like the 

 brine of ealt- pits, while at oil i or times an earth itself of a 

 sulphurous colour is sought lor the purpose. Painters, too, have 

 been known to go so far as to dig up half-charred bones 50 from, 

 the sepulchres for this purpose. 



All these plans, however, are new-fangled and troublesome; 

 for this substance may be prepared, in numerous ways, from 

 the soot that is yielded by the combustion of resin or pitch ; 

 so much so, indeed, that manufactories have been built on the 

 principle of not allowing an escape for the smoke evolved by 

 the process. The most esteemed black, 51 however, that is made 

 in this way, is prepared from the wood of the torch-pine. 



It is adulterated by mixing it with tho ordinary soot from 

 furnaces and baths, a substance which is also employed for the 

 purpose of writing. Others, again, calcine dried wine-lees, and 

 assure us that if the wine was originally of good quality from 

 which the colour is made, it will biar comparison with that of 

 indicum. 62 Polygnotus and Micon, the most celebrated painters 

 of Athens, made their black from grape-husks, and called it 

 " tryginon. " fl3 Apclles invented a method of preparing it from 

 burnt ivory, the name given to it being "clephantinon." 



We have indicum also, a substance imported from India, the 

 composition of which .s at present unknown to me. 54 Dyers, 

 too, prepare an atramentum from the black inflorescence which 

 adheres to the brazen dye-pans. It is made also from logs of 

 torch-pine, T>urnt to charcoal and pounded in a mortar. Thesa^pia, 

 too, has a wonderful property of secreting a black liquid; 68 

 but from this liquid no colour is prepared. The preparation of 

 every kind of atramentum is completed by exposure to the sun ; 



^ "Carbones infoctos." The reading is very doubtful. It may possi- 

 bly mean M charred bones tainted with dirt." This would make an in- 

 ferior ivory- black. The earth before-mentioned is considered by Ajasson 

 to be o deuto-sulpbate of copper, a solution of which, in gallic acid, is 

 Btill used for dyeing black. The water near copper-mines would very pro- 

 bably be also highly impregnated with it. Ueckmann considers these to 

 have been vitriolic product*. Vol. II. p. 2G5. 



41 Our Lamp-black. Vitruvius describes the construction of the manu- 

 factories above alluded to. M Probably, our Chinese, or Indian ink, 

 a different substance from the indicum of Chapter 27. 



63 From'rpi'ft ** grape-husks/' or "wine-lees." 



61 Indian ink is a composition of line lamp-black and size. 



55 Seo B. ii. c, TJ. epia, for sepic drawing, is now prepared from 

 these juices. 



VOL. VI. R 



