Merrifield, Mary P. Original Treatises, Dating from the XIIth to the XVIIIth Centuries, on the Arts of Painting. London: J. Murray, 1849. (Also available in a Dover Edition, 1967, with introduction and glossary by S. M. Alexander.)

You can find the original at https://archive.org/details/originaltreatis00merrgoog and https://archive.org/details/originaltreatis01merrgoog . 

For this project, I am only typing in the sections relevant to japanning and varnishing, with occasional pieces of other content where it's easier included than skipped.  The original book has English translations on the even-numbered pages, and the original Italian on the odd-numbered.  This file only reflects the English translation and Merrifield's notes about the document.

Please note that many of the ingredients used here are toxic!

603 (Volume II, 291 in PDF.)

MARCIANA MANUSCRIPT

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

604 (Volume II, 292 in PDF.)

...The names of the artists alluded to in the MS. show
that the author lived during the beginning and middle
of the sixteenth century.  It is probable that some at
least of the recipes were collected at Rome; for the
author remarks, in No. 238, "This I had from Master
Andrea di Salerno:" and it does not appear that
Andrea ever resided at Florence.  Dominici [2] says that
he was for a short period the pupil of Raffaello, whom
he left at Rome, in 1513, to return to his own country.

[2] See Lanzi, vol. ii, pp. 82, 251.  Andrea di Salerno was also called
Sabbatini.  He was born in 1480, and died in 1545.

605

Unless, therefore, it can be shown that this recipe was
written in the kingdom of Naples, we must suppose
that it was written a short time previously to 1513.
In this recipe it was recommended to mix the blue
pigments employed in fresco painting with milk; and
as Andrea di Salerno worked with Raffaello, it may be
inferred that this was the practice of the best masters
of that period.

A recipe invented by Giovanni da Udine, for making
Stucco, is given in this MS.  Giovanni also worked
at Rome under Raffaello, who had been invited by his
kinsman, Bramante, to decorate the Stanze of the
Vatican for Pope Julius II.[1]  This invitation must
have been given previous to 1513, for Julius died in
that year.  In 1527 Rome was sacked, and many
artists left the city after this melancholy event, to seek
in other parts of Italty a home more congenal to the
arts; among these was Giovanni da Udine, who for
some time resided at Florence, where he decorated the
Palace and Chapel of S. Lorenzo  Giovanni died
in 1561 or 1564.[2]  This recipe was communicated by
another artist named in this MS., who, although a
sculptor and architect by profession, exercised consi-
derable influence on the sister art of painting.  This
was Jacopo Tatti, usually called Sansavino or San-
sovino,[3] a native of Florence, who studied painting
under Andrea del Sarto. Sansovina, whose fame ex-
tended beyond the bounds of his native city, went also
to Rome, on the invitation of Giuliano di S. Gallo, the

[1] Julius II. was made Cardinal in 1471, and Pope in 1503.
[2] Lanzi, Indice' de Professori.
[3] Lanzi, vol. iii, p. 152, and Indice de' Professori.

606

architect of Julius II.  He continued to reside in this
city, returning occasionally to Florence, until the sack
of Rome, when he was obliged to take shelter at
Venice, where he died in 1570, at the age of 91.

From the above statements it appears that these
three artists were at Rome between the years 1503
(the period when Julius II. ascended the Papal throne)
and 1527 (when Rome was sacked); and it is highly
probable that the recipes were collected during this
period.  The notices, therefore, of the preparation of
the colours and oil, and the various recipes for varnish,
will be read with much interest; and may fairly be
considered to have been employed at Rome and Flo-
rence during the best era of Italian art.


628 (Volume II, 316 in PDF.)

394. Modes of making divers varnishes; and first, of "ben-
givi" (Benzoin), which will dry in the shade. - Take 2 oz. of
spirit of wine which has been distilled 4 times (that which
has been distilled 3 times will do, but not so well), and
one ounce of benzoin.  Put the ingredients into a bottle,
and shake them until the benzoin is dissolved; the varnish is
then finished.  It must be kept in a vessel closely stopped.
This is a very fine varnish upon miniatures and all other deli-
cate works, on paste, or glue, or wood, and also on paper and
glass.

395. Item, a varnish. - Take one pound of linseed oil, boied
"ut scis,"[1] etc., and anoint the vessel with it while hot, and 4
ounces of pounded carabe;[2] place it to dissolve with the bottle
closed on the coals, and when it is nearly dissolved pour in
the hot oil and stop it up; afterwards, at the proper time, when
the whole is dissolved, stir in 3 oz. of alum.


Dilute the varnish with the necessary quantity of naptha,
or linseed oil, or spirit of wine, and use it warm.

396.  Item, a varnish of benzoin, which dries very quickly and
may be used on everything, because it is pale and admirable for
all delicate works. - Put into a large glass vessel 5 ounces of
good spirit of wine, with an ounce of fine benzoin pounded
into very small pieces; stop the vessel closely, and agitate it
until the benzoin is well dissolved. Then let it stand for a day
and a night; pour off the clear part, throw away the sediment
at the bottom, and keep the liquid in a well-closed glass vessel:
this liquid is the varnish.

397.  Item, an excellent varnish which is made without the aid

[1] Ut scis, &c. See ante, No. 339, p. 620.
[2] The word is written "Carbone" in the MS. in the Marciana, and
"carabone" in recipes somewhat similar in the Nuovo Plico and Abece-
dario.  I have ventured to translate it "carabe" (amber) because it is quite

629

clear that carbone does not liquefy over the fire, and because, after a diligent
search, I can attach no other meaning to it.  I consider this to be the com-
mon recipe for amber varnish: the amber being dissolved in a vessel pre-
viously greased to prevent it from burning, before the hot oil is added.


630

of fire, which dries very quicky without being exposed to the sun,
and remains very clear, and with which may be varnished any-
thing painted on panel, pasteboard, or iron. - Take spirit of wine
which has been rectified at least three times, because otherwise
it would not dissolve the benzoin properly, and put it in a glass
vessel; then take some benzoin and add either at once, or a
little at a time, that quantity which you know to be sufficient.
Then stop up the bottle and agitate it until the benzoin is en-
tirely dissolved; and if, after it is dissolved, it is of the con-
sistence of good "vernice liquida," and, as it were, tenacious,
and varnishes well, it is finished; but if it is too thick, add
more spirit of wine until you bring it to the correct standard;
and if it is too thin, add more benzoin.  You may then pre-
serve it for use.

[Recipes through 406 plus 393 at end are not spirit varnishes, but
do include mastic and sandarac.]

643 (Volume II, 331 in PDF.)

PADUAN MANUSCRIPT.

Preliminary Observations

This manuscript, without the date or name of the
author, is certainly Venetian. It is in quarto, is
written on paper, and is numbered 992.

The handwriting is of the seventeenth century; and
although, from the following circumstance, the MS.
may have been written during the latter part of the
sixteenth century, I think it more probable that it was
composed during the middle, or latter part, of the
seventeenth century.

In the fly-leaf preceeding the commencement, and in
the same hand-writing, and in similar coloured ink, is
a sonnet (dedicated to Prince Emanuel Philibert, of
Savoy), which appears to have been composed by the
Canonico Michael Angelo Blanchiardi di Torino, as his
name is affixed to it.[1]

[1 - The work on colours is followed by a copy, in a more recent hand-
writing, and with blacker ink, of a letter from "Il principe D. Anton Ot-
toboni al Sig. P. Pietro suo Figlio hora Cardinale eletto dal Ste Papa
Alessandro Ottavo suo Zio. 1698."]

Now, Emanuel Philibert died in 1580; if, therefore,
Dr. Blanchiardi composed the MS., he must have done
so previous to this period, and the MS. might have been
written soon after the sonnet.


644

Some parts of the early sections of the work, from
No. 1 to No. 13 inclusive, bear such strong resemblance
to parts of the 3rd book of Lomazzo's Treatise on Paint-
ing, that it can scarcely be supposed that one was not
copied from the other. Lomazzo's work was published
in 1584; if, therefore, parts of the MS. were taken from
this, the date must be later than that period.

But independently of these considerations, the work
bears intrinsic evidence of having been composed at a
later period. A change seems to have taken place
during the interval that lapsed between the composi-
tion of the MS. of the Marciana and the Paduan MS.,
not only in the pigments used, but in the varnishes.
Essential oil varnishes are introduced in great abund-
ance; Spirit of Turpentine, Oil of Spike, and Naphtha,
are the diluents; while the hard varnishes, made with
amber and sandarac, have nearly given place to mastic
and olio di abezzo.

Among the varnishes for pictures is one (No. 94)
described as "Alla Fiaminga," which is composed of
spirit of wine, sandarac, and olio di abezzo. "Oglio
cotto," prepared by boiling nut or linseed oil with
litharge, is twice mentioned, namely in No. 70 and
No. 96.

One recipe only is given for Lac Lake, but
Gum Lac is frequently mentioned, being applied to the
novel purpose of composing varnishes, by which the In-
dian Japan work was to be imitated. The MS. con-
tains recipes for varnishes of this description composed
of different ingredients; and for the preparation of the
colours used in Japanning.

Gamboge was used at this period as a pigment, and
was prepared for painting by grinding it with lemon-
juice and roche alum. I do not know when this sub-
stance was first used as a pigment, but it was first em-
ployed for medical purposes about 1603.

Articles of American produce are mentioned as in
use; among these are Campeachy wood (or Logwood)
and Cochineal lake, which seems almost to have super-
seded the lac lake as a pigment. Cochineal is said to
have been introduced in the beginning of the sixteenth
century.[1] It seems at this time to have been usually
prepared with lemon-juice, or crystallized arsenic.

[1 - It was introduced into Spain soon after 1523.]

670

45. A clear and fine varnish. - Take of clear Venice turpen-
tine oz. iij, and of odoriferous oil of spike oz. j, melt them well
together over a slow fire, and use the varnish hot, recollecting
that if you are using it on wood you must first give it a good
coat of glue, or distemper the colours with gum water, in
order that the varnish may not penetrate.

46. A varnish which has been tried. - Take equal parts of
white mastic and linseed oil, put them into a new pipkin over
a slow fire, and when the oil is hot, add to it a little "olio d'
abezzo," and continue to mix.

47. Another good varnish - Take equal quantities of red
mastic well powdered and linseed oil with a little resin; put
them over the fire in a new pipkin, stirring the ingred-
dients continually for a quarter of an hour, when it will be
finished.

48. Another varnish. - Take of oglio d' abezzo, naphtha, and
white mastic, all at discretion; put the whole into a new
pipkin over a slow fire, and boil until all the mastic is dis-
solved; if there is plenty of the olio di abezzo the varnish will
be better.

49. A varnish which dries directly. - Take equal parts of
boiled linseed oil and white mastic, place them over the fire in
a new pipkin with a little oglio di abezzo; let them boil while
you can say a credo; then add to them spirit of turpentine,
equal in quantity to half the linseed oil, mixing it well with the
other ingredients.

50. Another varnish which dries directly - Put into a pipkin
a proper quantity of mastic, cover it with a somewhat greater
quantity of naphtha, and leave the pipkin over the hot coals
until the mastic is dissolved.

51. A varnish which does not dry immediately. - Take of
white mastic oz. j, of nut or linseed oil oz. ij, and of oglio di
abezzo oz. ss; put the whole into a pipkin, and boil over a slow

672

fire until all the mastic is dissolved; then add a little naphtha
at discretion.

52. A varnish which has been proved to dry instantly. - Take
of coarsely pounded white mastic oz. j, of spirit of turpentine oz.
j, of naphtha oz. j, and of oglio di abezzo oz. ij; put all the in-
gredients into a glass vessel closely covered with paper; then
put a tin pot over the fire, to the handle of which the glass must
be suspended, being secured to it by a string; and put into the
tin pot sufficient water to cover the glass. Boil the water for
half an hour, and until the mastic is dissolved, taking care
not to take out the glass while the water is boiling, as it would
crack.

53. Another varnish. - Let any quantity of oglio di abezzo,
naphtha, and mastic, be placed in a pipkin in the summer and ex-
posed to the sun, and in this way excellent varnish will be made.

54. How to wash old pictures previous to varnishing them. - 
Take tartar and black soap, and boil them with water. With
this old paintings are washed, and afterwards varnished with
the following varnish.

55. A varnish for old pictures. - Take linseed or nut oil, oil of
spike, and powdered mastic, all at discretion; put them into a
pipkin over a slow fire. This is found to succeed.

56. Another mode of washing old paintings. - Take some weak
ley and soap with a little of that amalgam[1] which is used for
the backs of mirrors, and rub the amalgam all over the pic-
ture; leave it in that state for a short time, then wash it off
with a new ley, and lastly wash off the whole with common
water. This has been tried.

[1 Amalgam for the backs of looking glasses. The process of silvering
mirrors at Murano was described by Porta to be as follows: - "The tin,
hammered to thin leaves, was spread out very smoothly, and quicksilver
was poured over it; and when the tin was saturated it was covered with
paper. The glass, wiped exceedingly clean, was then laid above it, and
while the workman pressed it down with his left hand, he drew out very
carefully with his right the paper that lay between the tin and the glass,
over which weights were afterwards placed." In Germany, however, ac-
cording to Garzoni, an amalgam was used composed of a mixture of lead,
tin, the silver marchesite, and tartar; while Porta says the mixture con-
sisted of antimony, lead, and colophonium. (See Beckmann's 'Inventions,' vol. ii. p. 78, 79.) ]

57. A varnish which does not dry immediately. - Take a


674 

pipkin, and put into it white mastic, linseed, or nut oil, at dis-
cretion; then boil it over a slow fire until all the mastic is dis-
solved.

....


686 (374)  Paduan Manuscript

88. To make the Indian varnish. First notice. - You must
first heat an earthen vase, and while it is very hot put into it
the gum lac pounded and sifted through a silk sieve; then add
to it about 1/4 of an ounce of colophony, and at the same time,
that it may have a body, collect it on the end of a stick in order
to present all parts of it to the fire, that it may all be of the
same colour, and as soon as it is liquefied you will add to it, a
little at a time, the powdered colours, observing that they must
be quite dry when they are put in.

89. For green. - Take 15 drachms of orpiment, a drachm of in-
dico, more or less dark in colour, for the sky-blue, sulphur well
pounded with indico at discretion, and so with the other colours.
After the colours are well-mixed on their sticks with the gum lac
they much be frequently beaten on the marble, or in a hot mor-
tar, in order to mix them well; they are afterwards worked in
the hands, and little tablets are made of them for use when they
are wanted. For dark blue, indico alone; for yellow, orpiment;
for red, cinnabar or minium; for olive, burnt orpiment; for flesh
colour, sulphur and minium; and so for all the other colours.

90. To extract the colour of the gum lac, so that it will serve
for bright colours. - Pulverize coarsely the gum, and put it
into a ley of rosewood or vinewood, which will extract its co-
lour; you must then separate the water from the gum, and
evaporate it carefully until it begins to thicken.  You must
then take it from the fire, and stir it with a silver spoon, and
let it settle till the next morning, and when it is sufficiently
thick, you must place it on a slab of marble, dry it and use it
for giving a lustre to the gum and to all colours. Observe
that this colour mixed with white lead makes a most beautiful
flesh colour.

The remainder of the gum lac must be washed in the ley
until it has entirely lost its red colour; it will then do for melt-

688

ing with the other colours, as cinnabar, orpiment, and others,
because the gum being passed through the ley, is clarified [or
bleached], and all the impurities of the inside will pass off with
the colour.

The wood should be covered with a coat of yellow made
with orpiments, and the colours placed on it, ad libitum. But
this must be after having spread the yellow with a willow wand
or some other stick.

91. To purify the gum lac, so that it will give a lustre like
crystal. - Take the clearest gum, break it in a strong and clear
cloth bag, 2 fingers in breadth, and at the two extremities of
the bag tie two sticks, so that they may keep the bag closed,
which you will present to the fire, and continue turning it round
until the gum passes through the cloth, which you must scrape
with a wet knife, on the marble, and continue to do so until
the whole has passed through, taking care that you do not burn
yourself, and this gum, thus purified, serves for giving a lustre
to all works.

92. An amber varnish. - Take common turpentine, make it to
boil for a quarter of an hour, add to it some amber well powdered
on the marble, boil it for half an hour until the amber is lique-
fied, and take it from the fire.  As soon as it is cold it will
become hard; when you wish to use it, dilute it with oil of tur-
pentine in order that it may liquefy, and it will be better to
heat it slightly that it may be more manageable, taking notice
that while it is hot, it should be passed through a cloth, and
the part which passes through will be the best part. Apply it
with the pencil or with the warm hand. It is necessary to ac-
quaint you that this composition should be washed in hot
water, after it has been well strained, that it may be clean and
pure.

93. Another secret to make the true Indian varnish. - Take
gum lac and oil of spike, both of them clean and pure. The
oil must be cleansed from its impurities with an equal quantity
of litharge of gold; it must then be redistilled and again
left to settle until it becomes clear after being passed twice

690

through the still.  Another vessel shaped like this must be pro-
cured, and for every 4 ounces of spike must be taken one
ounce of gum lac (if it is very yellow
and clear there is no doubt of its good-      [flask image]
ness); the whole is then to be placed over
a charcoal fire and to be boiled until the colour is changed,
and the varnish becomes like honey. To know whether it is
good, put a drop on a knife, and if it remains united it is good;
it must afterwards be poured through a linen cloth into a vase
of majolica and preserved.

Cinnabar is ground up with pure water, and dried on the
stone; then ground for a quarter of an hour with seven times
its quantity of varnish. The varnish is then applied with a
pencil, and the work is to be exposed to the air for 2 hours in
order that the odour may pass away; for the same reason the
work is to be kept in a warm place; any colour may then be
laid on 5 or 6 times.

After this it must be made perfectly clean and again var-
nished, continually dipping the pencil in oil of spike. When-
ever you varnish you must dry the whole perfectly.

In using the yellow colour you must wait some time for the
dissolution of the gum, or you must dissolve it over a slow fire
if you do not wish to wait long.

94. A very clear varnish for pictures and paper alla Fia-
minga. - Take 7 ounces of highly rectified spirit of wine, 2 oz.
of sandarac, and 2 ounces of olio d'abezzo. The sandarac,
which should be very clear, must be pulverized and put in a
bottle with the olio d'abezzo, which also must be very clear.
The spirit of wine must then be added, and the whole boiled
gently over the fire, until the whole is dissolved, keeping the
mouth of the vessel well closed, that the spirit of wine may not
evaporate. The varnish must then be strained into a glass
vase, leaving the impurities at the bottom. When it is used it
must be put into a majolica cup, the picture also must be
heated, and the varnish applied with the pencil.

...

694

102. To make the finest Indian varnish. - Take oz. 8 of
gum lac, oz. 4 of the white resin of Arabia [1], oz. 3 of mastic,
and oz. 1/2 of borax; liquefy the whole in a glazed basin. When
dissolved, strain them through a silk cloth; then take an ounce
and a half of the composition, reduce it to powder, put the pow-
der into a receiver, and throw on to it half a pound of spirit of

[1 - Is not this the white resin of Arabia, Oriental Copal?]

696

wine rectified 4 times, and put the receiver into hot ashes or a
sand bath until the powder is entirely dissolved. The varnish
will then be finished. It is then used in the following manner:
- Add to it a 6th part, by weight, of Spanish red,[1] and with
this give 7 or 8 coats to the wood which you wish to varnish,
leaving each coat 5 or 6 hours before the next is laid on.
After it is quite dry, it must be polished with a small brush
and olive oil; then two coats of varnish must be applied, and
when it is dry it must be rubbed very softly with goatskin and
with Tripoli powder and oil, when it will be done; but I warn
you that you must follow the recipe exactly.


103. Another Chinese varnish. - Take of white carabe [am-
ber] oz. 2, of gum lac oz. 1/4, of sandarac oz. 1/4, and of rectified
spirit of wine lib. 1. The gums must all be pounded, and put
into a long-necked bottle, and left in infusion for 2 days, in order
that they may be perfectly dissolved, keeping the bottle well
closed. The bottle must then be put in a very gentle sand-
bath for 7 or 8 hours, and left to cool, when it will be done.

104. Clear varnish. - Take lib. 1 of spirit of wine, oz. 4 of
fine turpentine, a quarter of an ounce of white mastic, and the
same quantity of sandarac. Put the whole into a bottle, as in
the preceding recipe, and in the same manner place it for 6
hours in a sand-bath of such a heat that the varnish will boil.
It will then be finished.

105. Lustro di rasa. - Lustro di rasa, for grinding bright
colours [for painting] on glass, is made with equal parts of
spirit of turpentine and Greek pitch, placed over a moderate
fire until the pitch is melted.

106. Varnish is made as follows. - Take one ounce of juniper
gum [sandarac], oz. 1/4 of pure and clear oglio d'abezzo, which is
called oglio d'abiezzo for making varnish, oz. 1/2 of the
best 7 times rectified spirit of wine. The sandarac must be
ground up, and made into a paste with the abezzo. It must
then be put into a bottle, the spirit of wine must be added, and

698

it must be placed over a slow fire until it is well incorporated.
When this is done, the wood or glass which is to be varnished
is painted with a tuft of feathers.

107. A varnish for miniatures and picture frames. - Take of
spirit of turpentine lib. 1, of benzoin oz. 4, and of mastic oz. 2.
Reduce the mastic to a very fine powder, and mix it with the
benzoin in a varnished pipkin. Then put the spirit of turpen-
tine into a bottle, which you must heat by means of a water-
bath, and then mix it with the benzoin and mastic in the pip-
kin; afterwards incorporating it with the other things over a
slow fire, &c.

When this varnish is used on picture frames, you must add
to it two ounces of sandarac also well pounded, and you must
mix with the varnish the colour which you wish to apply on the
frames.

[1 - The Almagre of the Spanish writers. A pigment is still sold at Venice
by the name of Terra Rossa di Spagna, but it is believed to be identical with
the Terra Rossa d'Inghilterra, and to be actually brought from England.]