Besides, the metallic colors will torn black
in a short time. Handling the real thing
requires great skill and much practice.

Using Parchment

Pure white vellum is preferable to the
slightly yellow version, sometimes called
"antique," which is often uneven in tone
because it is gathered from animals that
died naturally rather than from
slaughtered ones. Parchment has two dis¬
tinctly different sides: the inner, lighter
one, called the flesh side, and the outer
side, usually of a darker, yellowish color,
called the hair side. The hair side is
often chosen because of its interesting
patterns, but if a text requires several
pages, you will have to write on both
sides. Arrange the pages so that hair
sides face each other and flesh sides face
each other.

Choose skins with few or no callus
spots. A thicker skin can be used for a
single document, especially if it is to be
framed, but a folded page requires thin
and flexible material or it will not fold or
remain open easily (see Figures 367 and
368).

Dealers who specialize in calligraphy
materials, such as the Scribes Art Shop
(568 Jefferson Plaza, Port Jefferson, NY
11776), can supply vellum prepared for
writing.

Parchment for bookbinding purposes
is glossed with an application of egg
white and then buffed to a matte sheen
after drying. This prepared surface
makes writing difficult, because the ink
does not adhere well and often collects
in small drops. Similar problems arise in
gilding. If you cannot obtain special
writing parchment, there are several
methods for modifying the surface of
treated skins. Try the procedures on
scraps first to test the kind and the in¬
tensity of the layer in question.

Edward Johnston recommends the

176

use of finely ground pumice stone. Rub
it into the surface with a piece of supple
leather until you see a slight fuzz, then
remove the particles with a clean silk
cloth or with a brush, and shake off the
rest. If the parchment surface has a de¬
sirable pattern, which could be de¬
stroyed by scraping, an alternate method
is to wash it with a solution of alum. Be¬
cause parchment has hygroscopic prop¬
erties—that is, it absorbs water —it has
to be stretched onto a board and secured
with tacks or glue. This procedure makes
it necessary to start with a larger piece
than you need for the final work, be¬
cause the edges have to be trimmed off.
Make a lining tool by assembling a
blunt needle and a handle and draw lines
gently. Score, but do not crease, the
parchment. Setting your light at an
angle will make the lines visible. Write
on loose, not stretched, parchment and
use black Chinese ink in stick form with
a little watercolor added. Choose only
the best pigments and control unifor¬
mity and lightness by adding small
amounts of white to your colors. Any
area that is to be gilded should be kept
clean during the writing process.

Raised Gilding

The technique of raised gilding requires
swift action. Keep all tools and materials
at hand. You will need gold leaf and a
supply of gesso, the ground to which the
gold sticks, as well as the following
equipment: a hard, totally smooth and
clean work surface, pumice stone and a
leather cloth to roughen the surface of
previously prepared parchment; a hard
pencil to draw outlines; pen and brush to
transfer the gesso; a breathing tube or 4-
inch (10-centimeter) long tube of paper
with a diameter of Va inch (7.5 to 10 mil¬
limeters); a gilder's cushion; a gilder's
knife; a gilder's tip; a sharp pair of scis¬
sors; a needle to pierce air bubbles in the

V

367 Wrong: parchment too stiff.

368 Right: parchment lies open easily.

369 Seri ber. (Drawing from Johnston.)

370 Burnisher.

371 (Drawing from Johnston.)

372 (Drawing from Johnston.)

gesso; glassine through which to smooth
the gesso and to burnish the gold; a
small dusting brush to remove the
pumice dust and excess gold; a burnisher
(Figure 370) or a rounded and smooth
bone folder; and a small dish to mix the
gesso.

Gesso-based recipes for raised gilding
appear in sources as early as the ninth
and tenth centuries. The following rec¬
ipe is adapted from Helmut Hirmer.4

8 parts slaked plaster of Paris

3 parts white lead (NOTE: white lead
is toxic. Wear rubber gloves when
you handle it, as it may be ab¬
sorbed through the skin, and avoid
inhaling it.)

1 part fish glue

1 part cane sugar

5 parts distilled water

a dash of pigment (Indian red or cad¬
mium red)

Grind the gypsum, white lead, sugar,
and pigment individually with a mortar
and pestle. This is a very time-consum¬
ing process, requiring 45 minutes per in¬
gredient to achieve an absolutely smooth
consistency. Measure out the amount of
each powder called for in the recipe,
combine them in the mortar and mix
them together. Add fish glue and water
a little at a time. Do not stir, but care¬
fully work it together. Should air bub¬
bles form, you must prick them open
with a needle. It will take another 45
minutes to get the materials thoroughly
mixed. If the paste is too stiff, add a few
drops of distilled water.

Prepare a piece of cardboard wrapped
in aluminum foil and put little "buttons"
of the gesso Vi inch to 1 inch (1.5 to 2.5
centimeters) onto the foil to dry. Store
in a dry and dustfree place and it will
keep indefinitely. To reactivate the

4. Helmut Hirmer, "Die Gessovergoldung" (Gesso
gilding), in Dos deutsche Malerblatt, 4/90.

gesso, crumble a button into a small
glass with a round bottom and add a
drop of glair. Let it soak in for 5 min¬
utes. Wearing a rubber glove, stir it with
your finger until the paste has the con¬
sistency of putty. Cover it with glair and
let it stand for 10 minutes more. Mix
again until it is the consistency of cream.
Open air bubbles with a needle or pin.

To make glair, beat the white of an
egg to a stiff froth. Allow it to settle at
room temperature for twenty-four
hours. You will find a small amount of
liquid at the bottom of the bowl: discard
the froth and add the liquid to an equal
amount of water.5

Other recipes may be found in The
Calligraphers Handbook, edited by Heather
Child (New York: Taplinger, 1986).

Ready-made gessos are no longer
available, but acrylic medium — gloss,
matte, or gel — can be used successfully.
Keep the gesso in a glass container with
a lid and use only as much as needed.
Well-covered leftovers can be thinned
with water until the consistency resem¬
bles that of cream. Stir frequently during
use and poke any air bubbles open with
a needle.

If you used Johnston's scraping pro¬
cedure for the preparation of parch¬
ment, rub the surface to be gilded with
pumice powder before you draw your
outlines. This will ensure a good contact
of gesso and parchment. A particularly
greasy spot can be tackled with the blade
of a small knife. Then draw with a hard
pencil or copy the desired shape onto
the designated area. If you washed the
parchment with alum solution, treat any
difficult spots with a solution of 8 to 10
drops of hydrochloric acid to 3 ounces
(.10 liter) of water. Apply the liquid with
a brush.

5. Recipe provided by Jerry Tresser, The Scribes
Art Shop.

177

мян

^■■i