imbibed by the pores or otherwise, as are all other pigments of which lead is the basis. A fine natural white oxide, or carbonate of lead, would be a valuable acquisition. The following are the true characters of these whites according to our particular experience: 1. LONDON and NOTTINGHAM WHITES. The best of these do not differ in any essential particular mutually, nor from the white leads of other manufactories. The latter, being prepared from flake white, is generally the grayest of the two. The inferior white leads are adulterated with whitening or other earths, which injure them in body and brightness, dispose them to dry more slowly, to keep their place less firmly, and to discolour the oil with which they are applied. All the above are carbonates of lead, and liable to froth or bubble when used with aqueous, spirituous, or acid preparations. 2. CREMS or CREMNITZ WHITE is a white carbonate of lead, which derives its names from Crems or Krems in Austria, or Kremnitz in Hungaria, and is called also Vienna white, being brought from Vienna in cakes of a cubical form. Though highly reputed, it has no superiority over the best English white leads, and varies like them according to the degrees of care or success with which it has been prepared. 3. FLAKE WHITE is an English white lead in form of scales or plates, sometimes gray on the surface. It takes its name from its figure, is equal or sometimes superior to Crems white, and is an oxidised carbonate of lead, not essentially differing from the best of the above. When levigated, it is also called Body-white. 4. BLANC D'ARGENT, or Silver white. These are false appellations of a white lead, called also French white. It is brought from Paris in the form of drops, is exquisitely white, and has all the properties of the best white leads; but, being liable to the same changes, is unfit for general use as a water-colour, though good in oil or varnish. 5. ROMAN WHITE is of the purest white colour, but differs from the former only in the warm flesh-colour of the external surface of the large square masses in which it is usually prepared. 6. SULPHATE OF LEAD is an exceedingly white precipitate from any solution of lead by sulphuric acid, much resembling the blanc d'argent ; and has, when well prepared, quite neutral, and thoroughly edulcorated or washed, most of the properties of the best white leads, but is sometimes rather inferior in body and permanence. The above are the principal whites of lead; but there are many other whites used in painting, of which the following are the most worthy of attention: II. ZINC WHITE is an oxide of zinc, which has been more celebrated as a pigment than used, being perfectly durable in water and oil, but wanting the body and brightness of fine white leads in oil; while in water, constant or barytic white, and pearl white, are superior to it in colour, and equal in durability. Nevertheless, zinc white is valuable, as far as its powers extend in painting, on account of its durability both in oil and water, and its innocence with regard to health. III. TIN WHITE resembles zinc white in many respects, but dries badly, and has even less body and colour in oil, though superior to it in water. It is the basis of the best white in enamel painting. There are various other metallic whites,-such are those of bismuth, antimony, quicksilver, and arsenic; but none of them are of any value or reputation in painting, on account of their great disposition to change of colour, both by light and foul air, in water and in oil. IV. PEARL WHITE. There are two pigments of this denomination : one falsely so called, prepared from bismuth, which turns black in sulphureted hydrogen gas or any impure air, and is used as a cosmetic; the other, prepared from the waste of pearls and mother-of-pearl, which is exquisitely white, and of good body in water, but of little force in oil or varnish; it combines however with all other colours, without injuring the most delicate, and is itself perfectly permanent and innoxious;-witness Cleopatra's potation of pearls. V. CONSTANT WHITE, PERMANENT WHITE, or Barytic white, is a sulphate of barytes, and when well prepared and free from acid, is one of our best whites for water-painting, being of superior body in water, but destitute of this quality in oil. As it is of a poisonous nature, it must be kept from the mouth;-in other respects and properties it resembles the true pearl white. Both these pigments should be employed with as little gum as possible, as it destroys their body, opacity, or whiteness; and solution of gum ammoniac answers best. VI. WHITE CHALK is a well-known native carbonate of lime, used by the artist only as a crayon, or for tracing his designs, for which purpose it is sawed into lengths suited to the port-crayon. White crayons and tracingchalks, to be good, must work and cut free from grit. From this material whitening and lime are prepared, and are the bases of many common pigments and colours used in distemper, paper-staining, &c. There are many other terrene whites under equivocal names, from the famed Melinum, or white earth of Melos, mentioned by Pliny to have been used by the Greek painters, to common whitening prepared from chalk. Among them are Morat or Modan white, Spanish white, or Troys, or Troy white, Rouen white, Bougeval white, Paris white, Blanc de Roi, China white, Satin white, &c. The common oyster-shell contains also a soft white in its thick part, which is good in water; and egg-shells have been prepared for the same purpose, as may likewise an endless variety of native earths, as well as those produced by art. From this unlimited variety of terrene whites we have selected above such only as are reputed, or as principally merit the attention of the artist;-the rest may be variously useful to the paper-stainer, plaisteṛer, and painter in distemper; but the whole of them are destitute of body in oil, and injurious to many colours in water, as they are to all colours which cannot be employed in fresco. See Tab. IX. Chap. XXII. CHAP. IX. OF THE PRIMARY COLOURS. OF YELLOW. What is here? Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No, Gods, Thus much of this, will make black white, foul fair, Will lug your priests and servants from your sides; SHAKSP., TIMON OF ATHENS. YELLOW is the first of the primary or simple colours, nearest in relation to, and partaking most of the nature of, the neutral white; it is accordingly a most advancing colour, of great power in reflecting light. Compounded with the primary red, it constitutes the secondary orange, and its relatives, scarlet, &c. and other warm colours. It is the archeus or prime colour of the tertiary citrine;-it characterizes in like manner the endless variety of the semineutral colours called brown, and enters largely into the complex colours denominated buff, bay, tawny, tan, dan, dun, drab, chesnut, roan, sorrel, hazel, auburn, isabela, faun, feuillemorte, &c. Yellow is naturally associated with red in transient and prismatic colours, and they comport themselves with similar affinity and glowing accordance in painting, as well in conjunction as composition. It is the principal power also with red in representing the effects of warmth, heat, and fire, in painting and poetry: Where Indian suns engender new diseases, Where snakes and tigers breed,-I bend my way, To brave the fev'rish thirst no art appeases,- FROM THE SPANISH OF GONZALVO. In combination on the other hand with the primary blue, yellow constitutes all the variety of the secondary green, and, subordinately, the tertiaries russet and olive. It enters also in a very subdued degree into cool, semineutral, and broken colours, and assists in minor proportion with blue and red in the composition of black. As a pigment, yellow is a tender delicate colour, easily defiled, when pure, by other colours. In painting it diminishes the power of the eye by its action in a strong light, while itself becomes less distinct as a colour; and, on the contrary, it assists vision and becomes more distinct as a colour in a neutral somewhat declining light. These powers of colours upon vision require the particular attention of the colourist. To remedy the ill effect arising from the eyes having dwelt upon a colour, they should be gradually passed to its opposite colour, and refreshed amid compound or neutral tints, or washed in the clear light of day. In a warm light, yellow becomes totally lost, but is less diminished than all other colours, except white, by distance. The stronger tones of any colour subdue its fainter hues in the same proportion as opposite colours and contrasts exalt them. The contrasting colours of yellow are a purple inclining to blue when the yellow inclines to orange, and a purple inclining to red when the yellow inclines to green, in the mean proportions of thirteen purple to three of yellow, measured in surface or intensity; and yellow being nearest to neutral white in the natural scale of colours it accords with it in conjunction. Of all colours, except white, it contrasts black most powerfully. Yellow is discordant when standing alone, or unsupported by other colours, with orange. It is the vulgar symbol of jealousy, occasioned perhaps by the biliary complexion attending that passion; to which symbol Butler alludes thus : Jealous piques, Which th' antients wisely signified HUDIBR., Part II. Canto 1. And Chaucer thus: And Jalousie, That wered of yelw colors a gerlond And had a cuckow sitting on hir hond. KNIGHT'S TALE, v. 1032. yet the sensible effects of yellow are gay, gaudy, glorious, full of lustre, K |