Cyclopedia of Painting/Marbling
MARBLING.
Sienna Marble. The ground of Sienna marble is white lead; the work is then to be evenly gone over with white paint mixed with equal quantities of turpentine and oil. After this, mix two light tints, the one consisting of yellow ochre and white lead and the other of vermilion and white lead, both mixed with equal quantities of oil and turpentine, and with separate tools dab patches on the white paint whilst yet wet, and with a brush well soften the patches together, great care being taken not to allow the red tint to be too dominant.
On a palette, on the side of which is placed a tin dipper containing turpentine, place a small quantity of blue black, the oil colors sold in collapsible metal tubes are the best for marbling, and a small quantity of purple lake; then with a sable pencil dipped in turpentine take a thin wash of the blue black and vein on the wet work, and soften; then work up the veins further with more blue black, so that the color may be a little darker, but still thin; after this, with a flat camel's hair fitch dipped in turpentine, and a small quantity of the purple lake and blue black mixed, apply very thin washes in some of the open spaces, and soften lightly. When dry, put in whites, with white lead mixed with turpentine, using a sable pencil, and subsequently softening the work with a badger. When the paints are quite hard, apply a light varnish.
Italian Pink Marble. Over a white ground apply a coat of white paint as in the last case, compound tints of ultramarine and white lead and vermilion and white lead, each being mixed with equal quantities of oil and turpentine, and with these dab patches, as already described, and soften.
On the palette place some Indian red and with a small pigeon feather dipped in turpentine and some of the Indian red, work the pattern and well soften. When this is dry, mix some white lead mixed rather thinly with turpentine, and flat the whole of the work; then with a feather dipped in turpentine scumble over the work and subsequently put in whites with white lead and turpentine. When the work is perfectly hard it is to be varnished.
Verde Antique. The ground of Verde antique is either black or dark green, the marbling colors being dark brown and green. Scumble over the work with these, then with Brunswick green and white lead scumble over again and soften with a badger; next with a fitch paint masses of white of various shapes, squares, irregular triangles, etc., and similar masses of black.
The painter may here be reminded of the difference between scumbling and glazing. In the latter the colors are thinly mixed so as to be transparent; in the former, the color is mixed thick and thinly spread or rubbed on it with a hard brush.
Egyptian Green Marble. This marble in color nearly resembles the Verde antique; it is superior serpentine, and there are several sorts, which are called by different names, which would be of but little service to the painter, as they are all for his purposes comprehended under the above title. Egyptian green differs from Verde antique in the form of the veins, which run in a more horizontal direction, having a greater quantity of small fossil substances mixed with it, and the dark veins frequently running in streaks which often appear as if broken by violence.
Serpentine. The same kind of marble, though not so variegated in vein or color, is found in Germany, Russia and England. It is called serpentine from its supposed resemblance to the skin of a serpent and in its rich variety of color and almost indestructible hardness, and is therefore eminently suitable for architectural ornaments.
Noble or Precious Serpentine has nearly the same appearance with the green marbles of the East, called Egyptian green. The green is generally the cold color of the leek, but varies in shades, some appearing in the darkest olive. The veins which appear black sometimes run in a horizontal direction, and then suddenly break and appear nearly upright; in other cases they seem to have undergone a violent concussion, and become broken and shivered to small pieces. It is the business of the geologist to explain the cause of this appearance in one of the most solid of minerals; it is sufficient for the painter to note the character, so as to reproduce it as far as possible by means of his art.
The common Serpentine is found in great abundance in the Isle of Anglesea. It is not so bright or so varied as the precious; the dark shades of green are much broader, and the light veins not so fine and reticulated, and consequently the fossil remains that are white show more distinctly in small, long, square pieces of various sizes and forms. The black vein is so mixed with the darkest shades of green as to be scarcely perceptible in some instances, and this renders the marble somewhat dull and not fit for ornamental painting.
The mode of producing all the green marbles, both in oil and distemper color, must be the same as that directed for Verde antique. The ground must in all eases be black and the different shades of green may be formed by scumbling the white over the black, more or less thickly according to the variety of shade required, and, when the whole is finished, glazing with green according to the tint of the marble.
White-Veined Marble. The ground for this marble is white laid perfectly smooth. The first vein will be found, on inspecting a specimen, to be very faint; it is the broad vein of the mica seen through a great depth of the semi-transparent body of the white. The shadows of white always partake of a yellow hue, and thus the faint vein will appear of a reddish gray, which is formed by mixing white, black and Indian red to a proper tint. This must be scumbled or spread very thinly in the forms that it is intended that the veins should take. In relation to the formation of marbles, it must here be observed, that they are beds of rock that are veined by metallic or other substances running amongst them, and that the veins always run in the direction of the strata, precisely as thin streams of water would if poured upon an inclined plane, such as the top of a table slightly raised on one side. If this experiment is tried it will be found that the streams, if they commence regularly, will, from some inequalities of the surface, soon alter their course and turn in various directions, sometimes joining together, forming a sort of star, and then spreading into finer threads, while others will join and form a thick vein, but still running in various forms towards the bottom. This is precisely the way in which the various substances spread themselves on the limestone, of course penetrating the surface and interspersed with the strata.
From this experiment the painter will see that however the direction of the veins, they must all appear to be traveling to the same point by different roads and nothing can be more contrary to nature than those violent and eccentric breaks which painters of veined marbles usually practice. This will apply to all marbles except Porphyry, Black and Gold and Florentine.
The first broad vein of the marble having been rather faintly painted, the veins nearer the surface are next to be put in. They are made a little darker by the addition of black and are to be drawn very thin, taking the direction of the broad faint vein and being divided according to previous studies from nature. The veins which are nearest the surface must, of course, be darker than the others, and the color may be darkened and warmed by the still further addition of black, with a little lake and blue. This vein should be drawn with a fine sable pencil very thin, and made to take nearly the direction of the last veining. Only very little is required, but it must be put in with spirit and skill and the beauty of the work will thereby be greatly enhanced.
The whole of these veins are put on one upon the other whilst wet and blended together with the badger softener. When quite dry the dark vein may be retouched either wholly or in parts.
Lay on a ground of white and put in the veins with a marbling crayon or camel's hair brush whilst the ground is wet, and soften with the badger. This is, of course, a much inferior method to the above, as the different degrees of depth of the veins, and the pale smooth portions caused by the confluences described are not as well represented.
Florentine Marble. The ground for this marble is white, Indian red and black, mixed together to form a very light reddish neutral tint. The veins are umber or burnt sienna; they are laid on very irregularly, while the ground color is wet; sometimes they are very close together, and then seem to break suddenly into the forms of rocks or ruins, an effect which must be studied from natural specimens and must be imitated by hand.
Black-and-Gold Marble. The ground is black. Paint the large spots from which the fibrous veins are to run with yellow ochre and white, the bright tone of which must be heightened by the addition of a little vermilion. These masses must be dabbed with freedom upon the ground with a brush full of color and, whilst quite wet, threads must be drawn from them in all directions, some, of course, being larger and thicker than others.
A white vein is sometimes seen running in the deepest parts of the black, with small threads attached to it, crossing each other and the yellow veins in all directions. Care must be taken that the threads are connected with, and run in some degree in the same direction as, the thicker veins. If the ground of this is properly prepared, the yellow and white veins may both be painted at once in oil color.
In cabinet work, most beautiful imitations of the finest specimens of this marble may be produced by spreading a leaf or two of gold in any part of the work where the gold, and silver leaf where the white, veins are intended to run. The black ground is then to be rather thickly painted over the whole surface, covering the gold and silver leaf, and, after the color has been on a short time, take a round-pointed bodkin, or similar implement, and draw the color in small reticulated veins from off the gold and silver leaf; the metal will then show in fine lines; the larger masses are to be wiped off with the wash-leather spread over the point of the thumb or a piece of wood. When the black is dry, the yellow and white veins are to be painted as before directed, and drawn over the gold and silver, which will by this means show through them and give great brilliancy water when the work has been subsequently varnished.
Paint the ground a deep ivory black; put on the veins in white, yellow ochre and burnt and raw sienna, using a camel's hair brush; glaze the spaces between the veins with a thin coat of gray or white, over which pass a few white veins. The veins may also be put in with gold leaf.
Porphyry Marble. Mix the ground color of Venetian red with a little vermilion and white, until it is of the tint required. The first layer of spots is produced by sprinkling in the following manner: Mix some of the ground color with a larger quantity of white, in a paint-pot, and use a large brush which has been well worked in the color; hold the palette knife over the paint-pot and press the hairs of the brush against the edge so that as much as possible of the color may be forced out of it; then, taking the handle of the brush between the palms of the hands, roll it to and fro with a rapid motion, the ends of the hairs being below the level of the paint.
Now hold a stick firmly in front of the work and strike the handle of the brush against it; the color that still remains in it will thus fall on the surface in a variety of small dots. Great care on the part of the painter is necessary at this stage, so as to distribute the spots equally; otherwise, whilst one part of the work will be left only partially spotted, others may be so thickly covered that the drops will become confluent and not be visible as spots afterwards.
When this work has become sufficiently dry, the sprinkling may be repeated by dipping the brush into a color rather deeper than the ground; it may be Indian red, with sufficient white to give it a body. The sprinkling with this color must be done very sparingly and rather more in some parts than others.
The last sprinkling is to be done with a clean small tool dipped in white paint only and the spots are to be very fine; as much color, therefore, as possible should previously be removed from the brush, and it will be found that, when so little color remains in the brush that it will scarcely mark a board when rubbed on it, there will still be enough to produce the fine dots when struck against the stick. The stick should be held at some distance from the work, as the farther away the finer will be the dots. In imitating some specimens, the three layers of spots are laid on and, in addition, a narrow opaque white vein is to be run amongst the spots; from this transparent threads are drawn in various directions; these cannot be added until the whole of the sprinkling is quite dry and hard; they must then be formed with a sable pencil and the threads drawn out with a feather.
Egyptian Porphyry. The ground for this rare and beautiful marble is composed of vermilion and white lead. A tint of Indian red and lake is then sprinkled over the ground by striking the handle of the brush containing the color against a stick, and turning the wrist whilst striking; some of the dots will thus become elliptical instead of circular. The sprinkling of the brush must be spread in every direction, and the spots will, as already explained, be larger as the brush is struck nearer to the work and smaller as the distance is increased. The darker spots are a strong tint of lake, sprinkled on the previously made spots by striking the brush very smartly once or twice over that part of the work where they are required. The whole must then be left to dry; after this, a light blue tint must be sprinkled very lightly over different parts of the surface, but in no part so thickly as to overpower the red. The larger spots are to be done with white applied with a sable pencil near the darkest sprinkling. Dark spots of a tint formed with blue and lake are now to be added, and the work is to be completed by white veins drawn with a fine camel's hair pencil.
Blue-and-Gold Marble. The ground for this marble is a light blue, and when this is quite dry dab on in separate patches light blue, white and Prussian blue, leaving portions of the ground visible. Soften these patches together and then vein in every direction with white and fill up some of the irregular spaces with yellow or gold paint, and finally add fine white veins.
Blue Ruby-Spotted Marble. The blue ruby-spotted marble comes from Switzerland; it is light-colored, beautiful marble which may be introduced either in large or small masses with equally good effect.
The ground for this marble is a very light blue, with a few patches of white in those parts where the yellow spots are afterwards to appear. Both the blue and white of the ground must be quite dry before any marbling color can be applied. A bright tint of Prussian blue and white may be painted on in spots over the blue ground, and above this, whilst wet, a few touches of a darker tint must be laid on in large spots sufficiently apart from each other to allow the first tint to be seen between them.
The yellow spots may now be applied over the white ground; this is done with King's yellow mixed with a little vermilion. The work must be left to dry before it can be proceeded with. The surface being quite hard, paint the dark red or ruby veins with a tint of lake and blue. This is rather dotted than painted over the blue, taking care to avoid the yellow. These marks in some places are quite red, and for these lake alone is used. As soon as the ruby tint is applied, mix a much stronger tint of lake and blue and draw the strong markings over the lake; these lines are drawn out in a long succession of spots over the blue. It is impossible to give a verbal description of the manner of applying the tints in the various markings of this marble, but the painter who keeps the general character cannot greatly err from nature.
This is a most excellent pattern for distemper color. The ground is white, the light blue is white and Prussian blue; this may be sprinkled with a large brush. The darker spots are a tint with a little more blue than the first.
Blue-Veined Swiss Marble. This marble is exceedingly splendid in color and not very difficult to imitate. The ground is white. Light blue spots or broken streaks are drawn over the ground so as to let the white be seen between them. The blue must be omitted on that part of the ground where the yellow markings are seen. On these spaces a tint of King's yellow is painted and on this tint broad spots or touches of burnt sienna. The work must then be suffered to dry, after which the purple tint may be applied over the blue spots; this tint is lake and blue; the marking upon it is black; a glaze of burnt sienna in different parts will give variety of tint to the representation.
To execute this marble in distemper the blue may be sprinkled upon the ground with a large brush. The yellow is King's yellow, touched up with lake; the purple tint is indigo mixed with rose pink, and the darkest markings are black.
Dove-Colored Spotted Marble. This differs from the Dove marbles commonly seen by the contrast of the strong dark and light spots, and the interspersion of thin light veins. Dove marbles are used to heighten the effect of white-veined or statuary marble in sepulchral monuments, etc. The imitation in painting is mostly required for chimney-pieces or common dark work, for which it is very appropriate.
The ground for this marble is a light grey formed with black and white, mixed to the tint required; the sprinklings on the ground are done with a very dark tint formed of the same colors. The large spots are black, laid upon the sprinklings while wet with a sable pencil. The white spots and the veining may also be painted while the dark sprinkling is wet, as they will then blend with it and have a more natural effect than it would if they were painted when the dark sprinkling had become dry.
The process and colors are the same if the work is required in distemper, but as it is so easily and quickly performed in oil it is seldom that distemper color for so dark and common a marble can be used with advantage.
Dove Marble. For the ground of this marble two or three coats of good lead-color should be laid, and these should each be nicely smoothed with glass paper. The color used for marbling is the same as the ground, but thinned with turpentine. In order that the work may be satisfactorily blended whilst wet, only a small portion must be taken in hand, the whole being executed piece by piece until complete. The marbling color having been rubbed over a certain portion, small specks representing fossil remains are to be formed in it with a whitish tint, and these must be blended into the color, but not so much as to lose their distinctions. Veins of various sizes are then to be put in with the thinned ground color, using a small sash tool, distributing them with taste, and interspersing them with very fine veins. The color is then to be made lighter by the addition of white lead, and with a feather dipped in this color the broader veins are to be passed over, thus forming numerous thread-like veins. Next, with thin white in a camel's hair pencil, pass partly over the same veins with short thick touches, which may be continued in the narrower parts with a fine striping pencil. When the work has become quite hard it should be smoothed with very fine glass paper before being varnished.
Jasper Marble. The ground is composed of Venetian red, red lead and a small quantity of chrome yellow, mixed with oil and turpentine in equal parts. Or additional brilliancy may be given to the color by vermilion or lake instead of Venetian red. While the ground is wet, dab on spots of white, using either a piece of sponge or a tool, and soften with a badger, subsequently repeating the white touches in parts to give them increased brilliancy. Spots of blue, brown or yellow may be added in the same manner. When nearly dry, veins and threads may be put in with a camel's hair pencil.
Granite. Granite is a well-known igneous rock, composed principally of three minerals, Quartz, Felspar and Mica, united in a confused crystallization, that is, without any regular arrangement of the crystals. The following is the order in which the ingredients are proportioned: Felspar, Quartz, Mica. The name of the stone is derived from its granular formation.
There are very many kinds of granite used in the arts. Amongst these are the gray, red, green, violet, rose-colored, etc.
For the gray granite the ground is a gray, mixed of black and white, and, over this, spots are to be splashed with black and white, used separately, the work being carried on as described in relation to Porphyry. For the various shades of red granite the ground is composed of Venetian red and white, the spots being black, white and vermilion. In the same way any of the other kinds may be represented.