Improvements in or appertaining to Paints, Colours, Varnishes, and Distempers, and in the Method of Applying them to Canvas or other like Surfaces.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1821
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Paints, Colours, Varnishes, and
Distempers, and in the Method of Applying them to Canvas or
other like Surfaces.
A communication from abroad by ALPHONS FREIHERR (Baron) VON PEREIRA,
of Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of Würtemberg, Empire of Germany.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
In the modern process of painting, oil colours are usually painted on an oil ground
with a siccative, asphalt or other similar ingredients. This method of painting has
various drawbacks, oue of which is the darkening and cracking of modern pictures
which completely changes them in a few years. Numerous complaints about this
have already risen from all sides. and trials of other methods, including distemper
or water colour, have been made, but the old oil colour process was soon returned to
in preference to all these trials of distempering, sizing spirit and petroleum.
By this invention all these evils are removed, and it is rendered possible to
produce distemper and majolica colours in tubes together with a new medium, also
a sizing material as well as a distemper and inajolica varnish.
Briefly stated, the advantages of the invention are as follows:-
The new distemper colours, being completely soluble in water, offer a hitherto
unattainable facility of use. With no other material can a head or a figure, for
instance, be so quickly and easily modelled. In contradistinction to the distemper
or water colours hitherto used (which must be kept damp and when put on the
palette are apt to quickly dry and crack, or, if mixed with glue, must always be
warmed immediately before being used) these new distemper or water_colours
remain on the palette fresh and moist like oil colours, and yet as soon as they are
mixed and absorbed with the sizing material, which is still sometimes used in the
place of egg or warm glue in primitive water colour painting, they dry in a few
hours dull and even, but not more so than the usual water colours.
The colours prepared according to this invention further retain, like oil colours,
their strength and tone, and have especially a great similarity to them in their
treatment and character: they possess their advantages without their disad-
vantages.
The majolica colours are prepared from the finest majolica clays and have the
property of yielding a specially even coating and a quick absorption. As they are
several shades clearer and tenderer in tone than the usual colours, they form in
combination with these latter an extended scale of tints, and obviate especially the
too great abuse of white metal pigments.
A picture painted with a first coat of majolica colours receives an extremely fine
and clear tonality, which greatly assists painting in oil, distemper or water colour
over it, as well as all sky blues, aud allows much room for depth of execution.
The substances with which the colours are mixed consist of
40 grammes glycerine;
10 drops oleum rosarum palmarum; (an essential oil manufactured from an
African plant belonging to the family of gentians);
60 grammes liquid yellow honey.
This extremely clear and transparent painting material or drier remains unchanged

page_text: used in the pramary distempering or water colour painting when is only usen Die
when warmed.
The sizing material consists of a solution of
25 grammes isinglass, and
650 grammes distilled water,
to which solution, after filtration, are added 25 grammes acetic acid.
As this sizing material is also soluble in cold water, the brushes can be washed
by simply rinsing in water at any time during the work, and therefore only few
brushes are required. The colours mixed with the sizing material and therefore
completely soluble in water dry quite hard in a short time, namely, 6 to 12 hours,
but on the palette and on the surface of the picture they remain workable and moist
a sufficient length of time to allow of their being mixed like oil colours, combined
with one another and manipulated.
With this colour, a largo picture surface can be covered in much less time al
with much less exertion thau with oil colour. The colours can be laid on as a
foundation from the first stroke of the brush which, as is well known, is not the case
with oil colours, which require a vigorous laying on and rubbing in.
For this reason, these colours are specially suited for large decorative paimings,
as they are far more handy than the usual distemper colours, and possess a greater
translucence and power of blending, resembling that of oil colour. The canvas
must be conted with a ground mixture which is composed as follows:-
A glue prepared from white line goat skin cuttings in the proportion of
200 graines entting to 3 litres cold water, which mixture is slowly boiled down
to about a litre of liquid. The foundation or ground to be laid on the canvas is
prepared by mixing with the glue Smeh white (or, if desired, red) fine pipe clay
that the mixture fins a pasty consistency, and then to each litre of the mixture, a
tablespoonful of honey is stirred in
The canvas is then covered with this mixture in two, three, or, if required or
needed, more conts.
The varnish necessary for the new distemper or majolica colours is composed us
follows:-
litre rectified alcohol;
2 grammes balsam copaiva :
N
mastie :
"
turpentine oil reet. :
Venetian turpentine.
6
The respective ingredients are dissolved, well mixed and filtered.
The colours coated with this varnish have complete durability, strength and
freshness, and resemble oil colours in appearance,
Dated this 1st day of May 1890,
WM. P. THOMPSON & CO.,
Agents for the Applicant.
WM. P. THOMISON & CO.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Paints, Colours, Varnishes, and
Distempers, and in the Method of Applying them to Canvas or
other like Surfaces.
A communication from abroad by ALPHONS FREIHERR (Baron) VON PEREIRA,
of Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of Würtemberg, Empire of Germany.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign l'atent Solicitors, 6. Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6. Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the mature of this invention,

page_text: and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement. :-
In the modern process of painting, oil colours are usually painted on an oil ground
with siccative, asphalt or other similar ingredients. This method of painting has
various drawbacks, one of which is the darkening and cracking of modern pictures
which completely changes them in a few years. Nunerous complaints about this
have already risen from all sides, and trials of other methods, including distemper
or water colour, have been made, but the old oil colour process was soon
returned to in preference to all these trials of distempering, sizing, spirit and
petroleum.
By this invention, all these evils are removed, and it is rendered possible to
produce distemper and majolica colours in tubes together with a new medium, also
a sizing material as well as a distemper and majolica varnish.
Briefly stated, the advantages of the invention are as follows:-
The new distemper colours, being completely soluble in water, offer a hitherto
unattainable facility of use. With no other material can a head or a figure, for
instance, be so quickly and easily modelled. In contradistinction to the distemper
or water colours hitherto used (which must be kept damp and, when put on the
palette, are apt to quickly dry and crack, or, if mixed with glue, must always be
warmed immediately before being used) these new distemper or water colours
remain on the palette fresh and moist like oil colours, and yet, as soon as they are
mixed and absorbed with the sizing material, which is still sometimes used in the
place of egg or warm glue in primitive water colour painting, they dry in a few
hours dull and even, but not more so than the usual water colours.
The colours prepared according to this invention further retain, like oil colours,
their strength and tone, and have especially a great similarity to them in their
treatment and character; they also possess their advantages without their
disadvantages.
The majolica colours are prepared from the finest majolica clays and have the
property of yielding a specially even coating and a quick absorption. As they are
several shades clearer and tenderer in tone than the usual colours, they form, in
combination with these latter, an extended scale of tints, and obviate especially the
too great abuse of white metal pigments.
A picture painted with a first coat of majolica colours receives an extremely fine
and clear tonality, which greatly assists painting in oil, distemper or water colour
over it, as well as all sky blues, and allows much room for depth of execution.
The substances with which the colours are mixed consist of-
40 grammes glycerine.

page_text: With this colour, a large picture surface can be covered in much less time and
with much less exertion than with oil colour. The colours can be laid on as a
foundation from the first stroke of the brush, which, as is well known, is not the
case with oil colours, which require a vigorous laying on and rubbing in.
For this reason, these colours are specially suited for large decorative paintings,
as they are far more handy than the usual distemper colours, and possess a greater
translucence and power of blending, resembling that of oil colours. The canvas must
be coated with a ground mixture, which is composed as follows:-
A glue prepared from white fine goat skin cuttings in the proportion of
200 grammes cuttings to 3 litres cold water, which mixture is slowly boiled down
to about a litre of liquid. The foundation or ground to be laid on the canvas is
prepared by mixing with the glue so much white (or, if desired, red) fine pipe clay
that the mixture has a pasty consisteney, and then, to each litre of the mixture, a
tablespoonful of honey is stirred in.
The canvas is then covered with this mixture in two, three, or, if required or
needed, more coats.
The varnish necessary for the new distemper or majolica colours is composed as
follows:-
litre rectified alcohol.
2 grammes balsam copaiva.
8
unstic.
"
"
turpentine oil reet.
Venetian turpentine.
The respective ingredients are dissolved, well mixed and filtered.
The colours coated with this varnish have complete durability, strength and
freshness, and resemble oil colours in appearance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
:―
1. A process for painting in distemper or majolien colours, in which these
colours (soluble in water) are used in tubes in the same manner as oil colours.
2. The preparation of these colours and the necessary medium, drying and
painting material.
3. The distemper and majolien varnish and the pipe clay grounding material for
the canvas, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of January 1891,
WM. I. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.