42 State of Paifiting from the Reign of 



MS. antecedent to that date was a proof of 

 that. The Ihort quaere would be. With what 

 is the pivflure in queftion painted r To that 

 I can only reply, that it is covered with 

 glafs, and is too great a curiofity to have 

 experiments made upon it. It is painted 

 on a bright golden ground, t\\t colours of 

 the utmofl frefhnefs, and not grown black 

 as oil-colours would be, and is, as I have 

 faid, guarded by a glafs, all which indicate 

 that it is miniature. Yet I do not pre- 

 tend to decide: The infcription I have 

 mentioned and fome other circumftances 

 feem to leave a doubt whether John ab 

 Eyck was really the firfl perfon who mixed 

 his colours with oil. We have ieen by a 

 record reported above, that long before 

 this period oil was at lead ufed as a var- 

 nifli, and it is difficult to conceive how it 

 was polTible to varniili with oil either wa- 

 ter-colours or colours mixed with fize. It 

 occurred to me to enquire with what the 

 painters antecedent to John ab Eyck mixed 

 their colours : Even in this country there 

 are a few pictures extant, and painted on 

 board, before oil-painting can be fuppofed 

 Xq have been introduced here. Not. to. 



mention 



