The art of painting wherein is included the whole art of vulgar painting, according to the best and most approved rules for preparing an [sic] laying on of oyl colours : the whole treatise being so full, compleat, and so exactly fitted to the meanest capacity, that all persons whatsoever may by the directions contained therein be sufficiently able to paint in oyl colours, not only sun-dials, but also all manner of timber work ... / composed by John Smith, philomath.

CHAP. I. The Description and Use of the several Tools used in and about the Art of Painting.

2. A Grinding stone and Mulier; the stone it self ought to be of a Porphyrie, which is the best; but for want thereof,

any stone will serve, whose hardness will not suffer a Knife to wear it away, and withal sound and free from small pores: for if your stone be full of small holes, as some are, the colour that you first grind thereon cannot be so cleansed off, but there will remain some of it in those small holes, which will stain and spoyl the next different colour that is ground after it. This Grinding-stone ought to be a foot and a half square, and so thick as may make its weight suffi∣cient to keep it firm from moving when you are grinding on it.

When at any time you have done using of your Stone, you must be sure to cleanse it well from all the colour that shall remain, by scowring it with a Cloath and fine dry ashes or other dust; for if you set up your Stone foul with colour, it will put you to great trouble when it is dry to make it clean when you come next to use it.

The Mulier must be a pebble stone of the fashion of an Egg, with one end broken off flat, three inches Diameter is sufficient on the flat end, and five inches in height is conve∣nient, that you may with more ease command it in the time of grind∣ing.

2. You must have a piece of Lan∣thorn horn about three inches square, this piece of horn is used to keep the colour together in the grinding, and to take the colour of the stone when it's ground sufficient.

3. You must have Galley-pots, Pans or Pipkins to put your colours in when you have ground them; and these Pots or Pans ought to be proportionable to the colour you grind: for if it be but little, and your Vessel great, your colour will be lost and spent in daubing about the sides of it; therefore for a little quantity

of colour, have a small Vessel; and for a larger quantity, a larger Vessel: however, let the largest hold not above two quarts, lest it prove too cumbersome and troublesom to you.

4. You must have Brushes and Pencils of all sorts, some for priming and laying on of colours; others for drawing Lines, Figures, Letters, and the like; Brushes are made with bri∣stles, and are of several sizes, as from two inches and an half diameter, to a quarter of an inch: their goodness consists in the bristles lying close and even at the ends, and being well bound to the frame.

Pencils are made of finer hair, as of Colaber tayls, &c. They are of se∣veral sorts, as of Swan, Goose, and Ducks quill fitht and pointed; their goodness consists in their being well bound, and that the hair lyes close, and that the pointed ones draw very

sharp, being wetted with your tongue, and drawn through your lips.

When you have done using of your Pencils or Brushes, you must wash the colour clean out with Sope and warm water; else the drying of the colour will so mat them, that they will never be fit for use afterwards: however, take notice you need not wash them every time you have done using them, but only when it will be a considerable time before you use them again; otherwise putting them into a pan of water, or letting them remain covered with colour or Oyl, will preserve them sufficiently when you use them often together.

5. You must have an Easel for the painting of Dials, easie to be made by your self or by a Joyner; it must be almost of the fashion of a Ladder about 7 foot high, having the upper∣most round moveable with a stay in

it on the back-side of the Easel to stay it in what posture you please; the sides of it must be boared full of holes at equal and opposite distances, wherein two pins are to be put on which your Dial board is to be set, and may be let lower or set higher at pleasure according as occasion shall require.

6. You must have Black-Lead Pen∣cils, which you may buy at the Colour-Shops, or at the Stationers; good Pencils have of late been very scarce in London, till just upon the writing hereof there came Adver∣tisements abroad of good ones to be sold at the Prince's Arms over against the King on Horse-back in the Stocks-Market. Which Pencils I have since tryed, and find excellent good; they are marked thus, R. ♥ F. so that you may easily know them: however, the best way to be sure is to try them on Paper; if they shed their

Colour freely, and draw a black line oft-times together, they are good; else not. The Use of these Pencils are to draw the draught of your Dial on paper, and afterwards to draw it on the Plain it self, as here∣after is taught.

7. You must have Guilding Cushion to cut your leaf-Gold upon when you guild; the bottom is a Board about 6 inches broad, and about 12 inches long; one which is fastened to the Cover, which should be a piece of fine tanned Calves-Leather, the flesh side outward: This must be stuffed extraordinary hard, and as flat on the top as may be; for want of this, the leathern bottom of an ordinary Cushion will serve at a pinch, if you have not much to do.

8. You must have a Knife of Cane to cut your Gold on the Cushion; you must form or shape it with a ve∣ry

sharp edged Knife, that the edge of your Cane may be the sharper and clearer. If you want a Cane Knife, and know not well how to make it, an ordinary pocket Knife will do the business; provided its edge be very sharp, and free from notches. You must wipe it very dry on your sleeve or some dry Cloath; for if the edge be never so little moist, the leaf-gold will stick to it, and spoyl all.

9. You must have a tuft of Cot∣ton, or the hinder foot of a Hare or Coney to press down your gold after it's laid on the size, to make it take well and lye smooth.

10. You ought to have several pieces of wood about 3 inches long, some one inch broad, some half an inch broad, and some not above a quarter; These must have fine pie∣ces of Cloath glewed on the bottom,

with a small button or handle on the top to hold it by, this is to take your leaf-gold from the Cushion when it is cut in shape, and lay it on such figures, letters or mouldings of a Sun-Dial as you intend to guild (as hereafter is taught) if your work be hollow or protuberant that you are to guild, then the gold is commonly taken up on a bunch of Cotton, and laid on, pressing it down with the same.

11. You must have Brass Com∣passes, which will be useful to you on all occasions; indeed you cannot be well without them: The best places to buy them at, are the Mathe∣matical Instrument-makers.

12. You must have Rulers of seve∣ral lengths to draw your lines with; these must be footed upon one side with little wier pegs to stand from

the wood about a quarter of an inch; this is to keep your Ruler up from the board, that when you lay it across lines newly drawn, it may not blot them.

13. Fine neat squares are also ne∣cessary, they will be useful at every turn to draw perpendicular lines, or what else requires to be true and square.

14. You must have Crusiples or Melting-pots to burn such Colours in that require it: The best places to buy them at, are the Iron-mongers in Foster-Lane.

15. You must have also large Earthen Vessels to wash such Co∣lours in that require washing to be fit for use.

16. You must have also Cane-ply∣ers

to take your Leaf-gold out of the Book, and lay it on the guilding Cu∣shion to be cut.