Abstract
Ms. Fr. 640 contains more diverse and detailed instructions for the making of varnishes than any other sixteenth-century text. The varnish recipes in Ms. Fr. 640 are wide-ranging, from the protection of metals from corrosion, to the rain proofing of ephemeral festive decorations, to an ingredient in printer’s ink, to the imitation of other materials such as coral and gold, to the perhaps best known use of historical varnishes today, as coatings for easel paintings. This essay shows why the remarks and recipes in Ms. Fr. 640 about varnishes are of inestimable value in chronicling a previously unrecognized shift in the ingredients, preparation, uses, and aims of varnishes from the middle ages through the seventeenth century.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Secrets of Craft and Nature in Renaissance France |
| Subtitle of host publication | A Digital Critical Edition and English Translation of BnF Ms. Fr. 640 |
| Editors | Pamela Smith, Naomi Rosenkranz, Tianna Helena Uchacz, Tillmann Taape, Clément Godbarge, Sophie Pitman, Jenny Boulboullé, Joel Klein, Donna Bilak, Mark Smith, Catapano Terry |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Making and Knowing Project |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |