to suit the taste of the artist.

Orange Chrome

Is not so bright as the red lead, but is permanent, and will not turn black. I have preserved all its brightness that was possible to obtain, and have, therefore, entirely abandoned the more seductive red lead: it is used precisely as the vermilion.

Chrome Lemon.

Requires no particular treatment; it is both permanent and bright. We place it in the box to be occasionally used for illuminations, where an opaque colour is desirable. The gamboge can be used instead, when a transparent colour is preferable, and it will, in combination with prussian blue, form beautiful greens for foliage.

Carmine, plain, burnt, and purple.

Is one of the most useful colours in illuminations; its richness, either diluted or not, gives life and brilliancy to the surrounding colours. In combination with enamel white, it makes a rich pink; with cobalt, it forms a soft lilac; and with burnt carmine, it produces a rich brown, and invariably adds to the general effect. Carmine is so generally useful, so easily applied, that the artist will soon discover its inestimable value.

Hooker's Green

Is equally useful, brilliant, and easily applied. It adds intensity to the shading of all the greens. In combination with white, a beautiful middle tint is obtained, and may be used for ornamentations, scrollwork, etc.

Burnt Sienna

Is used with the greatest advantage in shading gold or silver (particularly the former), intensified with lamp-black. It is used in figure-drawing for the hair, eyebrows, etc. In combination with burnt carmine and lamp-black, it forms a rich brown for backgrounds, and touches up foliage to much advantage.

Lamp-black

For its intensity, is preferable to Indian ink, and is very effective for backgrounds. To add to its intensity, you may mix a little gum arabic with it, when required as a shadow on the same colour.

Middle Tints

Or opaque colours, which form so conspicuous a feature in the old missals, such as pink, salmon, gray, lilac, pale green, primrose, or pale blue, are severally produced, by the addition of enamel white with the following colours: carmine, vermilion,[B] black, cobalt and carmine, Hooker's green, yellow and ultramarine, in such proportion as the tint requires to be high or faint; but care must be taken in laying these on evenly to preserve an equal surface, which is easily displaced by going over it a second time.

Enamel White

Forms a distinguished feature in illuminating; its utility for various objects is apparent; a small dot, the size of a pin's point, tells on the blue, red, pink, or lilac with most delicate effect. It adds, also, a brightness to the gold and on colours, when judiciously applied. The artist can extensively avail himself of it, and may modify its intensity as circumstances require. It forms a hard enamel over the gold size, which then may be painted over with gold or silver from the shell; and when perfectly dry, may be burnished richly over with the agate, and forms a bright gold or silver raised ornament. It aids him, also, to repair any damage or imperfection which may accidentally occur; and its general utility will soon be discoverable, when the student begins to advance in the art.

With respect to other colours, not enumerated here, they may be used as occasion requires; and those acquainted with water-colour painting, can apply them to the painting of flowers, landscapes, miniatures, etc., in the same manner as on drawing-board. The delicacy of vellum, however, is much better fitted for the purposes of painting than either ivory or paper; I need not add, that the most pleasing and the highest finished drawing may be successfully executed on it.

Platina and Silver.

I have adopted platina, or aluminium, in preference to silver, since the two former retain their colour permanently, whilst the silver generally discolours after two or three weeks' exposure to the air. Those who prefer the more brilliant colour of bright silver, can, however, use it; gently washing it over with a soft new brush dipped into spirits of wine (which, when dry, forms a varnish over it), thus excluding atmospheric air, and thereby effectually preventing discoloration. Care should be taken that in the process the silver be not removed, by the brush being too dry or too roughly used.

Green or Yellow Gold.

The application of the green gold forms also a pleasing variety, amidst illuminations of yellow or matted gold, and gives a richness to the design, entirely unknown in the ancient missals, since its use at that period was not discovered. For this reason, many of my orthodox pupils have objected to use it, "because they could not find it in the ancient manuscripts;" but whilst I would encourage the study and close imitation of the style of the ancient masters, as far as artistic principles are concerned, I cannot object to the introduction of any improvement in effect, which modern art may suggest, merely on the ground that our productions should be slavishly imitative of the old originals. For this reason, I also always discourage the introduction of quaint and grotesque figures, mis-shapen animals and monstrosities, imaginary flowers or fruits, which never had existence, and which merely indicate a want at the time of artistic knowledge of the real beauties which are to be found in the productions of nature, the want of which knowledge, taught them to supply us with the defective creations of their untutored imaginations. Of these, plenty of specimens are found in the earlier productions of the sixth and seventh centuries; they are, however, gradually improved upon in the later productions. I prefer, therefore, the pleasing consistency of representing objects of accurate design, to such as, at the present moment, would incur the ridicule and just censure of the critic. Very little observation need be made in the use of either gold, silver or platina, since it is applied easily from the shell with a paintbrush and clean water to the vellum, and can be ornamented or burnished with the agate at pleasure, or be painted over with blue, white, or red scrollwork.

The Agate

Is used, with a little practice, to great advantage, and is capable of producing beautiful effects on the shell gold. A large field of gold would look rather monotonous; the agate is, therefore, employed for engraving, as it were, little ornaments over it, of various designs, which appear in bright contrast to the dead gold. A steady hand is required to make the scrollwork run smoothly and freely; a little dot, or a cluster of them, a stalk producing little flowers, and an indented rose-leaf or vine-leaf, with its arteries, can also successfully be produced. It were best, however, to practise this on a small scale first, before progressing with the drawing in too great a hurry. I entirely disagree with the use, under any circumstances, of any kind of imitation or liquid gold, firstly, because its permanency is quite uncertain; secondly, it is too coarse and brassy in appearance; and lastly, the agate could not produce the delicate tracings on its surface, as when applied to the real