n
Italy, and the charm of novelty, may be sufficient to account for these
changes. Lanzi every where laments them, and tells us that Nicolo
Franchini became famous for detaching pieces of paint from old pictures
of inferior value, to match deficiencies in more valuable.

Although we would here willingly end the discussion as to the discovery,
we feel ourselves irresistibly led by the importance of the subject to
make a few observations, and perhaps throw out a few hints, presuming
that they are nothing more than hints, which suggest themselves upon
paying some little attention to the actual words of Vasari; and this we
do solely with regard to vehicles. Why, we should ask, did Van Eyck dry
his picture in the sun, and which seems to have been the practice? As
far as we know the nature of gums, there is no difficulty in their
drying, without the necessity of resorting to any injurious practice.
Were these gums in any degree mixed with undrying substances? Why does
Vasari say "che secca non teme acqua"--"which, dry, does not fear
water?" Why does he mention water at all? for, supposing that he knew of
oil-painting without these "altre sue misture," there would appear to be
no occasion that he should mention, as a distinct property of this new
vehicle, that which was common with that and the older practice. Here a
suggestion seems to let in a glimmer of light. Did he convert these oils
into a soap, which, when dry, was no longer soluble in water? Will this
be the case with saponaceous oils? Unquestionably. One of the objections
made by Lanzi to the changes from the good old method was, as when he
speaks of Maria Crespi, that the paint was common and _oily_, and
elsewhere complains of "oily appearances." The "colori oleosi" is
perfectly descriptive, too, of our modern paint, notwithstanding that
our painters try in vain to disguise the "oily" appearance by the
admixture of varnishes, and that not a new practice, as we find from
Cennino, but one rejected. But can oil be deprived of this appearance?
We presume it was deprived of this quality by that process by which,
when dry, it did not "fear water"--"secca non teme acqua." Oils are
rendered saponaceous by alkalis. We mentioned in former papers
experiments of our scientific friend, P. Rainier, M.D. of the Albany,
and his use of borax with the oil. The borax he vitrified; and it was
because the paint mixed with this oil and borax vitrified also, after
the manner of the paint o