Fields Chromatography

Field's Chromatography, by George Field

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Field's Chromatography, by George Field This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists
Author: George Field
Editor: Thomas Salter
Release Date: March 27, 2007 [EBook #20915]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIELD'S CHROMATOGRAPHY ***

Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, Jacqueline Jeremy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

SALTER'S EDITION.
FIELD'S CHROMATOGRAPHY;
OR,
TREATISE ON COLOURS AND PIGMENTS
AS USED BY ARTISTS.
AN ENTIRELY NEW AND PRACTICAL EDITION;
REVISED, REWRITTEN, AND BROUGHT DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME.
BY
THOMAS W. SALTER, F.C.S.
Ars probat artificem.
LONDON:
WINSOR AND NEWTON, 38, RATHBONE PLACE,
Manufacturing Artists' Colourmen by Special Appointment to Her Majesty, and Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales.
[The Right of Translation is reserved.]

CONTENTS.

PART I.
ON COLOURS AND COLOURING.
Chapter. Page.
I.--On Colouring 3
II.--On the Relations and Harmonies of Colours 13

PART II.
ON COLOURS AND PIGMENTS GENERALLY.
III.--On Classes of Colours 27
IV.--On the Durability and Fugacity of Pigments 31
V.--On the General Qualities of Pigments 46

PART III.
ON COLOURS AND PIGMENTS INDIVIDUALLY.
VI.--On Colours and Pigments individually 57
VII.--On the Neutral, White 62
VIII.--On the Primary, Yellow 81
IX.--On the Primary, Red 127
X.--On the Primary, Blue 183
XI.--On the Secondary, Orange 239
XII.--On the Secondary, Green 263
XIII.--On the Secondary, Purple 294
XIV.--On the Tertiary, Citrine 310
XV.--On the Tertiary, Russet 320
XVI.--On the Tertiary, Olive 325
XVII.--On the Semi-Neutral, Brown 334
XVIII.--On the Semi-Neutral, Marrone 362
XIX.--On the Semi-Neutral, Gray 372
XX.--On the Neutral, Grey 381
XXI.--On the Neutral, Black 387
Addendum 414
Index 417

NOTICE.
Among the works consulted in this Edition are the following, from most of which extracts have been taken:
Bancroft's Philosophy of Colours.
Brande's Manual of Chemistry.
Chemical News.
Chevreul on Colour.
Fownes' Manual of Chemistry.
Gmelin's Handbook of Chemistry.
Handbooks on Art.
Liebig and Kopp's Annual Report of the Progress of Chemistry.
M��rim��e's Painting in Oil.
Muspratt's Dictionary of Chemistry.
Normandy's Commercial Handbook of Chemical Analysis.
O'Neill's Chemistry of Calico Printing.
Quarterly Journal of the Chemical Society.
Ruskin's Elements of Drawing.
Watts' Dictionary of Chemistry.


PART I.
* * * * *
ON COLOURS AND COLOURING.

CHROMATOGRAPHY;
OR,
A TREATISE ON COLOURS AND PIGMENTS.
* * * * *
CHAPTER I.
ON COLOURING.
How early, and to what extent, colouring may have attained the rank of science among the ancients, are questions not easily set at rest; but that some progress had been made, even at a very remote period, is proved by the magnificent tombs of the Egyptian kings at Thebes, where the walls of the royal mausoleum are described as being covered with paintings so fresh and perfect, as to require neither restoration nor improvement. So far from this, indeed, that with all care in copying, it was difficult to equal the brilliancy of the originals, which, as far as colours went, threw all others in the background. And yet, in spite of the scale having comprised pure vermilion, ochres, and indigo, it was not gaudy, owing to the judicious balance of the colours, and the artful management of the black. Nor was there an ornament throughout the dresses, wherein the red, yellow, and blue, were not so employed as to produce a delicious harmony.
Moreover, it is stated that in one painting eighty feet high and proportionably broad, which was divided into two ranges of gigantic figures, these were glowing with most exquisite colours, suited to the drapery and naked parts; and in which the azure, yellow, green, &c., were as well preserved as though they had been laid on yesterday. Again, an apartment was discovered among the stupendous ruins at Carnac, on the site of ancient Thebes, one hundred paces wide and sixty deep, completely crowded with pillars, which, together with the ceiling, roof, and walls, were decorated with figures in basso-relievo, and hieroglyphics--all marvellously beautiful and finely painted, and as fresh, splendid and glorious, after so many ages, as if they had just been finished.
In various accounts these colourings of the Egyptians are described in the warmest terms of admiration. The most charming are undoubtedly those on the tombs and temples: others of less merit have been found on the cases and cloths of mummies, and on papyrus rolls; but it is to the patterns on the walls and ceilings of their houses that they seem to have been most partial, and paid the most attention. The ordinary colours employed by them were red, yellow, green, and blue. Of the last there were two tints; black also was common. For white, the finely prepared stone-coloured ground was deemed sufficient. These colours were occasionally modified by mixture with chalk; but were always, or nearly always, applied singly, in an unmixed state. With regard to their composition, chemical analysis has shown several of the blues to be oxide of copper with a small proportion of iron; none containing cobalt. There is little doubt,