some used for painting (i.e., amber, brazilwood and cochineal, gum arabic, indigo,
saffron, sandarac, shellac, verdigris, vermilion, etc.).- The Royal Academy in London was founded in 1768. By that period, the ex
change of information all over Europe was so rapid that translations of new
methods and techniques happened very quickly. See also Carlyle, L. 1991. A
critical analysis of artists' handbooks, manuals and treatises on oil painting pub
lished in Britain between 1800-1900: with reference to selected eighteenth
century sources. PhD. diss. Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London.
Also, compare early German source books, including Schiessl, U. 1989. Die
deutschsprachige Literatur zu Werkstoifen und Techniken der Malerei von 1530 bis ca.
1950. Worms. - The layout of Diderot's great work is not alphabetical but systematic, after the
division of the sciences following the scheme of Francis Bacon (1561-1626) for
an Encyclopaedia oj Nature and Art, which was published in 1620 (the encyclopedia
itself was never published). Painting is listed under two categories: philosophy
and imagination. Alphabetical arrangement of the contents of an encyclopedia
came into general use in the eighteenth century, and indexing was not employed
until the 1830s. For further information of the dramatic history of Diderot's
encyclopedia, see Collison, R. 1964. Encyclopaedias: Their History throughout the
Ages. London. - Copying from previous authors was commonplace in the seventeenth and eigh
teenth centuries; everyone did it, and it was unusual when a source was cited.
One splendid example is the recipe for making drying oil by boiling nut oil
with litharge, water, and one onion. None of the authors really believed in the
efficacy of the onion, but dutifully copied it nonetheless. See Pernety, D. A,-J. - Dictionnaire portatif de peinture, sculpture et gravure. Paris, Ixxxvii-Ixxxviii.
Pernety copied the recipe from La Hire (La Hire, op. cit., 708): "II y en a qui
font cuire avec l'huile un oignon coupe en plusieurs morceaux pour la degraisser
& pour la rendre plus coulante & moins gluante, ace qu'ils pretendent." De Piles
copied it again with similar doubts and suggested using a piece of bread instead
(De Piles. 1776. Elemens de peinture pratique. Charles-Antoine Jombert, 141-42). - Lacombe, J. 1752. Dictionnaire portatif des beaux-arts. Paris. See also Macquer,
p. J. 1766-1767. Dictiormaire portatif des arts et metiers. Paris. For inf ormation on
the many dictionairies published in the later half of the eighteenth century, see
Massing's 1990 bibliography (available from the author). - Pernety, op. cit. (note 20), iii-iv.
- Several authors refer to the imperfections of the oil medium. De Piles. 1766, op.
cit. (note 20), 97-98. De Piles writes of the deterioration of oil painting, "Cette
espece de peinture est moderne en comparison des autres .... II n'y a pas de
donte qu'elle seroit la plus parfaite de toutes les manieres de peindre, si les
couleurs ne se ternissoient point par la suite des tems; mais elles brunissent
toujours de plus en plus & tirent sur un jaune brun, ce qui vient de I'huile avec
laquelle to utes les couleurs sont broyees & incorporees." - Caylus, M. Ie Comte de, and M. Majault. 1755. Memoire sur la peinture a l'encaus
tique et sur la peinture a la eire. Geneva and Paris. - Eighteenth-century authors such as the Count of Caylus believed that the An
cient Greek painters used an encaustic painting technique. The wax was "fixed"
to the wooden support by placing the completed painting next to an open fire.
Since the only painting materials Pliny mentioned were wax, pigments, fire, and
brushes, Caylus dismissed the use of solvents such as turpentine to soften wax
and make it "paintable." To paint as the ancients did, Caylus considered that the
wax needed to be heated. The watertight metal boxes depicted here could be
filled with boiling water, which kept the colored waxes at a constant temperature.
The box on the left has a roughened glass top used to grind the colors. A similar
box with an opaque top would be a palette. - Fratrel,J. 1770. La cire alliee avec l'/wile ou la peinture a/wile-eire. Trouvee a Manheim
par M. Charles Baron de Taubenheim experimerttee decrite & dedie a l'electeur. Man
heim. - For further discussion of this method of painting, which was taken quite seriously
not only by the inventor himself, but by most contemporary source books, see
Massing, A. 1993. Arnaud Vincent de Montpetit and eludoric painting. Zeitschrifi
jur Kunsttechnologie 7 (2):359-68. - For a discussion of this popular technique, see Massing A. 1989. From print to
painting. The technique of glass transfer painting. Print Quarterly 6 (4):382-93. - Rouquet,J. A. 1755. L'art nouveau de la peinture en jromage, ou en remequin, inventee
pour suivre Ie louable projet de trouver graduellement des jafons de peindre injerieures a
celles qui existent. Marolles.
Massing 29