in Imitation of the Ancient Grecian Manner. 123 



of putting seven ounces of mastich, and when boiling, adding 

 five ounces of wax^mix twelve ounces of gum-mastich with, 

 the gum-water, prepared as mentioned in the first part of this 

 receipt : before it is put on the fire, and when sufficiently 

 boiled and beaten, and is a little cold, stir in by degrees 

 twelve ounces, or three quarters of a pint {wine measure) 

 of cold spring water, and afterwards strain it. It would be 

 equally practicable painting with wax alone, dissolved in 

 gum-water in the following manner. Take twelve ounces 

 or three quarters of a pint wine measure of cold spring water, 

 and four ounces and a half of gum-arabic, put them into a 

 glazed earthen vessel, and when the gum is dissolved, addf 

 eight ounces of white wax. Put the earthen vessel with the 

 gum-water and wax upon a slow fire, and stir them till the 

 -wax is dissolved and has boiled a few minutes : then take 

 them off the fire and throw them into a bason, as by re- 

 maining in the hot earthen vessel the wax would become 

 rather hard; beat the gum-water and wax till quite cold. 

 As there is but a small proportion of water in comparison, 

 to the quantity of gum and wax, it would be necessary in. 

 mixing this composition with the colours, to put also some 

 fair water. Should the composition be so made as to occasion 

 the ingredients to separate in tne bottle, it wjll become 

 equally serviceable if shaken before used to mix with the 

 colours. 



I had lately an opportunity of discovering that the com^ 

 position which had remained in a bottle since the vear 1792, 

 in which time it had grown dry and become as solid a sub- 

 stance as wax, returned to a cream-like consistence, and 

 became again in as proper a state to mix with colours, as 

 when it was first made, by putting a little cold water upon 

 it, and suffering it to remain on a short time, I also lately 

 found some of the mixture composed of only gum-arabic- 

 water and gum-mastich, of which I sent a specimen to the 

 Society of Arts in 1792 ; it was become dry, and had much 

 the appearance and consistency of horn. I found, on letting 

 some cold water remain over it, that it became as fit for 

 painting with, as when the composition was first prepared. 



Ejvtma Jane Hooker. 

 1 - - XXI, Essay 



