WHITE.
Flake-white, and white-lead, or ceruss.
For painting in encaustic, I mix always both together half and half; flake-white alone is subject to raise too much little bubbles in employing it with water, which the admixture of the other prevents; besides, both together make a better and more solid body; tho’ flake-white is the whitest of the two, to use either alone I should prefer the second. The Venetian or Dalmatian white-lead is by far the best for all manner of painting; being prepared with a purer and subtler acid it is whiter and purer than any other whatsoever, and preferable to flake-white; next to it is the German or Dutch; French or English ceruss are in general but indifferent, in experiments I frequently found the latter to have one third of marle or chalk in its composition; which is the cause of its growing so soon yellow, dull and dirty in oil.
In composing of the crayons it will be well to observe the above mentioned proportion of half and half, as by the doing so, much pipe clay will not be required to bind them.