•-'.^u. ?«8 &^t /I /-</-' , '// ' -^•'^ fr /•r^//' // . "f/ c THE ART FRESCO PAINTING BRIGHTON: PRINTED BY ARTHUR WALLIS, BABTUOLOMEWS, OPrOSITB THE TOWN HALL. THE ART FRESCO PAINTING, AS PRACTISED BY THE OLD ITALIAN AND SPANISH MASTERS, A PRELIMINARY INQUIRY * INTO THE NATURE . ov THE COLOURS USED IN FRESCO PAINTING, WITH OBSERVATIONS AND NOTES. MRS. MERRIFIELD, TRAKSLATOK OF CENNINO CBNMNI. Of all kinds of painting, Frcscu Painting is the finest and most maiiterl.T.' Vasaei.—Pacheco. LONDON : PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY CHARLES GILPIN, 5, BISHOPSGATE STREET; AND ARTHUR WALLIS, BRIGHTON. MDCCCXLVI. Art MD Z4-J0 Mb5'a_ I? 46 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR ROBERT PEEL, Bart. M.P. ONE OF JHE COMMISSIONERS ON THE FINE ARTS, THIS TREATISE ON THE ART OF FRESCO PAINTING, IS, BY HIS PERMISSION, MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BT HIS OBLIGED AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, MARY PHILADELPHIA MERRIFIELD. 123558 Jl . (^ N T E N T S PAGR. Introduction V Colours used in Fresco Painting xi Red Colours—Amatito. xiii Sinopia . xxix Blue Colours . xxxiv Green Colours . li Black Colours . liii White, Yellow, and Brown Colours . liii Concludins: Remarks . liv THE ART OF FRESCO PAINTING. Of Guevara Directions and Observations of Vitruvius with the commentary of Guevara 2 Directions of the Monk Theophilus 17 Of Leon Batista Alberti . 19 Directions and Observations of Leon Batista Alberti . 19 Directions of Cennino Cennini . 24 Of Vasari 27 Directions and Observations of Vasari . 27 Of Borghini 33 Directions and Observations of Borghini 23 Of Arraenino 35 Directions and Observations of Armenino 33 Of Andrea Pozzo 52 Directions and Observations of Andrea Pozzo . 56 Of Pacheco 61 Directions and Observations of Pacheco 62 Of Palomino 69 Directions and Observations of Palomino 70 Directions of John Martin 87 Practice of the Early Italian School 91 Of the Painting . 98 Of the Colouring and Colours 105 Of the use of Gold on Fresco . 110 Instances of the durability of external Frescoes 114 Causes of the destruction of Frescoes . 115 Of Retouching, Repairing, and Cleaning Frescoes 119 Of the Repairs of the Gallery of the Carracci in the Palazzo Farnese, and of the Loggia of Raffaello at the I>ungara 122 Index 129 INTRODUCTION, The revival of the art of Fresco Painting in the nineteenth century, will be an epoch in the fine arts, and, will probably, be the means of forming a great school of painting in this country, and lead to the improvement of the sister arts of sculpture and architecture. The moment it was determined to decorate the new Houses of Parliament with fresco paintings, it became important to ascertain the mode adopted by the great masters of the Italian and Spanish schools. To accomplish this desirable object, it became necessary to recur to the old treatises on the subject, especially those written in the Italian and Spanish languages. This inquiry was fortunately undertaken by a gentleman fully competent to the task. The result was pre- sented to the public in the valuable reports of the commissioners on the fine arts. The path of inquiry was well traced out in these reports, and the subject coinciding with my awa pursuits and inclinations, I was induced to pursue the inquiry, from the persuasion, that the introduction of the art into this country, would be the means of founding a great English school of painting. Independent of other considerations, there appear to me to be certain analogies between Italy, during the period the fine arts flourished in that country, and England at the present time, which strengthens this persuasion. The same wealth and splen- dour of our nobles and merchants, the same commercial prosperity, and, above all, the same spirit of inquiry, which characterised Italy at the period I have mentioned, is applicable to England at the present moment. The advantage is on the side of England. IV INTRODUCTION. Almost all the writers of cininence, mention fresco painting, as the highest branch of the art. The most competent judges have expressed opinions, that in comprehensiveness of subject, boldness of design, facility of execution, and in durability, it exceeds all other kinds of painting, especially for the decoration of temples, palaces, and great public buildings. It has been practised by men of the highest order of genius. It is only necessary to mention the names of the Carracci, Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Correggio, to shew how highly this branch of the art was formerly appreciated, even if the value set on the cartoons, the rough drafts of paintings in fresco, were not sufficient to establish its superiority. These considerations, added to the favorable reception of my translation of Cennino Cennini, on painting, encouraged me to follow the path of inquiry, traced out in the Reports of the Commissioners. By long discontinuance, the art had become almost entirely lost. The practice of painting on walls, in the manner described by Vitruvius, that is, partly in fresco, and partly in secco, appears to have been continued throughout the dark ages, by the Greeks, who instructed the Italians. According to Zanetti, the Greek style was taught by a Greek artist of Constantinople, who, about the year 1200, kept a school for painting, at Venice, to which many foreigners resorted for instruction, and from the same author we learn, that the Greek style was practised until the middle of the fourteenth century. The earliest modern writer, whose work has been preserved, is Theophilus, a monk, who is supposed to have lived between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, but the exact period is unknown. He professes to teach "all the knowledge of the Greeks respecting colours." A manuscript, which I examined in the Bibliotheque Royale, at Paris, dated in 1431, contains a version in old French, of some parts of the work of Theophilus, which shews that his treatise had then become known. — INTRODUCTION. V The following series comprise the principal authors, who have treated practically on fresco painting : Theophilus MS. between the years. 1000-1300. MS. in the Bibliotheque Royale 1431. Cennino Cennini MS. (published in 1821.) . 1437. Leon Batista Alberti 1485. Vasari 1547. Guevara 1550-1557. Borghini 1584. Armenini 1587. Cespedes 1608. Pacheco 1641. Pozzo 1693-1702. Palomino 1715-1724. Mengs 1779. Commencing therefore with Theophilus, the series of writers on fresco painting, embrace the periods of its commencement, progress, and decline. I believe there is no important practical point, which has not been explained by some one or other of the above series of authors, most of whom were also artists. The reader will be able to judge, by the extracts in this work, how perfectly the practical part of the art had been preserved and transmitted, by a succession of authors, treating expressly or incidentally on the subject. Between the period when Cennino wrote his treatise, and the publication of the work of Vasari, the art had advanced rapidly. Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Correggio had lived and died. The Sistine Chapel, the Vatican, and the Duomo of Parma, had been painted. The practice of fresco painting was changed in some important points ; Cartoons were prepared with the greatest care, the figures being di'awn either from the life, or from models in clay, from which, when placed on the wall, the picture was traced, and correctness of outline secured. The old custom of painting much of the drapery in VI INTRODUCTION. secco was discountenanced, and the perfection of fresco painting, as far as concerned the mechanical part of the art, was considered by the best writers on the subject, to consist in completing the picture at once in fresco, without retouching it in secco. The practice however of retouching in secco, was at no period wholly discontinued, except by a few very expert artists, formed chiefly in the school of the Carracci. In a work which contains translations from so many authors, repetitions will unavoidably occur ; and, as every author has his own mode of expressing his ideas, variations will be found. There is however a concurrence, generally, among all the authors, which leads to the conclusion, that the practice, by contemporary artists, was nearly uniform. We must expect that the introduction of the art, will be opposed and condemned by many of those who love the arts, and to whom we are much indebted for their advancement, but who have grown grey in other practice. It were too much to expect otherwise. But the young artist may be assured that fresco painting will succeed, and be most extensively practised in this countiy. The commencement has been most auspicious. The patronage of government has been offered. The assistance of parliament has been obtained ; and with such encouragement and patronage, ability and genius will not be wanting. No opposition can now prevent its success. The die is cast ; the path will be trodden. The art has been already revived, and practised with success, on the continent, especially in Germany. It has commenced in this country, and it may be safely pre- dicted, that it will hereafter form the principal part of the decorations of our public edifices. The great, the wise, and the good, with the actions and works, for which they were most celebrated, will be appropriately represented in our public buildings and palaces, if not in our temples. The illustrious dead will be represented as instructive examples to the living, and the art, which it is the object of this treatise to promote. INTRODUCTION. Vll will, by these means, become subservient to the best interests of the country. These are my anticipations. I tirmly believe they will be fully realized; and that fresco painting will be extensively and successfully practised in this country, by our own native artists, and will ultimately attain to a perfection, equal to that for which the Italian schools were so justly celebrated.