REDS.

are all properly qualified for encaustic.

Care must be taken to have the lake good; that which is commonly sold under the name of Florence lacque, and recommended as the best, is in general the worst; it is usually in small hard grains, which hardness is owing to gum arabic, or what is worse, to that glutinous substance which oozes out from the cherry tree, put in by the fabricant (of the lake) to bind and keep the grains together, and make it appear better merchandise than it really is; such lake will scale off from the canvas; the gum it is impregnated with hinders the wax from penetrating its pores—every body knows that lacque is made of cochineal; there is a bastard lake made of Brazil wood, but that is easily known by its dullness. The best lake for our purpose is that which is of a fine, clear, deep hue, easily to be broken and crumbled between the fingers. The finest and best lacque I ever saw and used, is made here in England by an ingenious artist in the seal engraving way.

Vermilion, or cinnabar, answers in encaustic all the purposes it does in oil.

Minium, will be of infinite service for painting with the pencil and crayons; it will not change fixed with wax, as it does in oil; it may be used to advantage in some carnations or flesh tints; and in landscapes to enliven the oker, for great lights.

Light-red, or light-oker calcined, is of the same universal use in this manner of painting as it is in oil, or common water colours.

Brown-red, or brown-oker calcined, may be employed for the same use as in oil, or distemper painting.

Indian-red, the French call this colour, Terre d’Angleterre, English earth; this colour is particularly useful for distances, it makes the degradation of objects light and airy.

Terra di Siena, and Terra verte,