The Mysteryes of Nature and Art / Conteined in foure severall Tretises, The first of water workes, The second of Fyer workes, The third of Drawing, Colouring, Painting, and Engraving, The fourth of divers Experiments, as wel serviceable as delightful: partly Collected, and partly of the Authors Peculiar Practice, and Invention

by John Bate

To make a double size to lay gold or silver on an embossed ground.

Take Venice Ceruse, white lead, plaister of an old Image, or chalke, any of these made in fine powder, and ground with the white of an egge, and a little water: this will make a good bottome to lay silver on. But when you use any of these to lay under gold, put to it a little Saffron, put not too much water; mingle it after discretion, and looke the size be thicke standing: put the size thus tempered, in a horne or shell in some Celler, or shadowed place, where it may stand moyst seven dayes, till it be perfect clammy and rotten, and once a day stirre it; the elder the size is, it is the better. If there stand any bubbles on the size, put in eare waxe, for that is a remedy thereto, and before you lay it on your worke, lay the size on a scrow, and dry it, and when it is dry, bend it, and if it bend and breake not, then it is perfect, and if it breake, put to it a little water to make it weaker, and proue if it cleaueth fast to the booke, if not, put glayr thereto, and make it more stedfast: the like size may you make of Gipsium, Bolearmoniacke, red or yellow Oker, Orpment or Masticot, with browne of Spaine, or red lead: if euery of them be ground seuerally, and tempered as afore.

Of painting in Oyle.

Here you must provide one thing more then you did before: that is, a Pallet (so called by Artists) whereupon you must put a small quantitie of euery such colour you are to use, the forme whereof followeth.

The Pallet.

The colours to be used, are altogether such dry substances as I mentioned formerly: as Oker, Vermilion red lead, Vmber, Spanish browne, Lam-blacke, Gambugice, Masticot, Orpment, Ceruse, or Spanish white, blew and greene Bise, Verdigrease, and a multitude of such like, which may be had at the Rose in Cornehill, London.

Your colours must be ground all very finely, and tempered with Linseed oyle; and to preserve them, put them in little earthen pans, and put water upon them, and cover them, that the dust come not at them: thus they may be kept a great while, and from thence you may take them as your use doth require.

There are divers colours which without the admixture of another colour, will not be dry a great while; as Lake, Verdigrease, Lam-blacke: with such you must temper a little Vmber or red lead.

Divers Painters there are, that having haste of worke, doe use to temper their colour with one part of fatte oyle, and two of common Linseed oyle, and by this meanes they make the colours dry the sooner: this fat oyle is onely Linseed oyle exposed to the weather, and so it becommeth thicker: yea sometimes you shall see it so thicke, that you may cut it almost like Butter: it may bee made likewise by boyling of it a little while, but the former is the best. As for the tempering of your colours, I can prescribe no surer way then experience with diligent observation.