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THE Art of Painting has been still so Noble and Excellent, that all those great Persons, who have practised it, were always distin∣guisht among the most eminent of their Age; those celebrated Pieces we have of it in our Days, to the Ornament and Admiration of all Europe, has setled so great a Veneration for their Memory, as will eter∣nize it to Posterity.
The Dorians, Corinthians, Ionians, and Romans, were the People that paid the most esteem to this No∣ble Art, for which they conceived so great Opinion and Delight, that they lookt upon the famous Pain∣ters of their Time as Demi-Gods, and ranged them among the first and most Learned Men in the World.
The Ancients did not only pay a Deference and Honour to the Nobility and Illustrious Birth of Great Men, but to their Worth and Vertue too: Hence the Athenians erected a Statue in Memory of Aesop, who was but a poor Slave: Would they have done it if this eminently Ingenious Fellow had not possessed so many excellent Parts? No, 'twas not for the sake of his Picture which was too deformed and ugly to please or Charm 'em, but to convince Posterity how the way to Glory is not shut up from the meanest Persons.
Can there be any thing more taking, or compleat, than the Natural Imitations which issue from Paint∣ing? Has Nature any thing more considerably admi∣rable? Do we not see her display'd in the Pourtraits of those Excellent Masters, who with so much Art and Delicacy have exprest all whatever she has pro∣duced in this sublunary inferiour Orb, so that 'tis not possible to see them without admiring, or to ad∣mire them without Astonishment.
What wonderful Fancies too have they drawn from the Superiour and Heavenly! They have so lively shewn the Rising and Setting Sun, Night and Day, the Face of Heaven sometimes Calm and Serene, and again darkned with Clouds, the Thunder Showers, Storms and Seas raging, with all their Wrecks, and in the Microcosm, or little World of Man, they have exprest his Joy, Sadness, Smiles, Tears, Pleasure, Dissatisfaction, Life and Death; in short, all the Alterations which Creatures are liable to, whereof the enumeration would be very tedious.
This fine Art, as well as that of Glass, does not lessen the quality of its Practitioners, the contrary whereof happens in all other Arts; for Princes, and many of our Monarchs, have granted the Privilege of Nobility to several Masters thereof, to intimate to Posterity the extraordinary Esteem they had for them, upon the Excellency of those Incomparable Pieces which their Pencils had produced.
Though painting on Glass be very ancient, 'tis yet much more modern than that of Painting on Wood, or Cloath, as being of no longer standing than this Art of Glass-work: The first who painted on Glass, did it only in Distemper; that is, in Co∣lours mixt with Glue, but this not abiding the In∣jury of Time, they invented the way of doing it with Fire-Proof Colours, which are incorporated with the Glass, by Baking and Melting them toge∣ther; and as soon as this Secret was discovered, eve∣ry Body took delight to practice the Draught of Fi∣gures, and entire Histories thereon for Ornaments, whereof we have still some remaining Pieces on old Church Glass; but those Figures before the Year 1500, had not half the sufficiency of Base, or Relief, as is required in Painting.
Those who would fain Work in handsome and lively Colours, made use of Glass-Frit, tinged in the Glass-house, as well for Carnation as Drapery, whereon they drew the first Lines of the Visage, and other Parts of the Body in Black, and so Shadowed 'em with Strokes and Dashes.
But Painting having since received an Improve∣ment in France, those Works became more perfect, and in so short a time with such advantage of making fair and most exquisite Pieces, as are even at this Day the Admiration of the Learned, of which, all the Honour must be ascribed to the French, who were
the first Discoverers of this great Perfection in the Art.
We might easily assign several ways of this Paint∣ing among the Ancients, but since they are out of Practice, and the latter Methods much more excel∣lent, we shall satisfie our selves in prescribing only such as may suffice, and gratifie the Curiosity of those who love this Art.
And not only the Method of Painting, but also how to prepare the Colours, to bake and finish 'em in the Furnace; of this we'll give a short Descripti∣on in the next Chapter; that Secret of ordering the Fire, which is the Life and principal Agent of all the Works, with that of Gilding, Marbling, &c. as will be shewn in the Sequel of this Book.
The most part of Ingredients useful for this Ser∣vice of Painting, will also tinge the Glass well enough, and we will make use of those mentioned elsewhere, to avoid useless Repetitions on the Subject.