Monday, March 7, 2011

New Play Piece & Pigment Research

The county scroll has been passed off for mailing.  I've done another small quick piece in the style of the Old English Hexateuch, Cotton Claudius B.iv.  The size is 5.25" x 7.75".




It's done on Pergamenata (a modern vegetable based Velum that's acid free), using the following Pigments - Carbon Black, Terra Vert,Verona Terra Green, Nickle Titanium Yellow, Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, Cobalt Blue Pale, Ultramarine Violet Medium, Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Pink, Red Lead, & Buff Titanium.  Not all of those pigments are correct for the style and some of the pigments are modern synthetics or titanium instead of lead replacements.


I've also been doing a lot of research into pigments lately, not only about origins or how to make it, but also the when and where for the colors.  I've recently reread Thompson's The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting and Thompson's translation of Cennino d'Andrea Cennini's "Il Libro dell' Arte" better known as the Craftsman's Handbook.  

I've also been haunting www.jstor.org for articles.  After some research I found out that my wife's OU facility access includes library access and JSTOR is included.  Needless to say, I've been downloading read all sorts of articles on medieval pigments and other sources to do further research into.  From the JSTOR articles I've been introduced to two more period source books, Mappe Clavicula and De diversis artbus (On Diverse Arts).  JSTOR has the article where the Mappe Clavicula was translated and published.  It was a very interesting read, with a lot of recipes for making gold go further or making imitation gold colors. And, it's from around the year 800 AD.

A copy of Hawthorne's and Smith's translaction of Theophilus's On Diverse Arts, should be in midweek.  I'm really looking forward to this book as it's described as the earliest (12th century) treatise on arts written by practicing artist. Pigments, glass blowing, stained glass, gold and silver work, more. And, it's supposed to include 34 illustrations.  That's a lot earlier then Cennini's Handbook that's from the 15th century and after the compilation of recipes that is Mappe Clavicula.

Isaac


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