Experiment XII
If you will allow me, Pyrophilus, for the avoiding of Ambiguity, to imploy the Word Pigments, to ſignifie ſuch prepared materials (as Cochinele, Vermilion, Orpiment,) as Painters, Dyers and other Artificers make uſe of to impart or imitate particular Colours, I ſhall be the better underſtood in divers paſſages of the following papers, and particularly when I tell you, That the mixing of Pigments being no inconſiderable part of the Painters Art, it may ſeem an Incroachment in me to meddle with it. But I think I may eaſily be excus’d (though I do not altogether paſs it by) if I reſtrain my ſelf to the making of a Tranſient mention of ſome few of their Practices about this matter; and that only ſo far forth, as may warrant me to obſerve to you, that there are but few Simple and Primary Colours (if I may ſo call them) from whoſe Various Compoſitions all the reſt do as it were Reſult. For though Painters can imitate the Hues (though not always the Splendor) of thoſe almoſt Numberleſs differing Colours that are to be met with in the Works of Nature, and of Art, I have not yet found, that to exhibit this ſtrange Variety they need imploy any more than White, and Black, and Red, and Blew, and Yellow; theſe five, Variouſly Compounded, and (if I may ſo ſpeak) Decompounded, being ſufficient to exhibit a Variety and Number of Colours, ſuch, as thoſe that are altogether Strangers to the Painters Pallets, can hardly imagine.
Thus (for Inſtance) Black and White differingly mix’d, make a Vaſt company of Lighter and Darker Grays.
Blew and Yellow make a huge Variety of Greens.
Red and Yellow make Orange Tawny.
Red with a little White makes a Carnation.
Red with an Eye of Blew, makes a Purple; and by theſe ſimple Compoſitions again Compounded among themſelves, the Skilfull Painter can produce what kind of Colour he pleaſes, and a great many more than we have yet Names for. But, as I intimated above, ’tis not my Deſign to proſecute this Subject, though I thought it not unfit to take ſome Notice of it, becauſe we may hereafter have occaſion to make uſe of what has been now deliver’d, to illuſtrate the Generation of Intermediate Colours; concerning which we muſt yet ſubjoyn this Caution, that to make the Rules about the Emergency of Colours, fit to be Relied upon, the Corpuſcles whereof the Pigments conſiſt muſt be ſuch as do not Deſtroy one anothers Texture, for in caſe they do, the produced Colour may be very Different from that which would Reſult from the Mixture of other harmleſs Pigments of the ſame Colours, as I ſhall have Occaſion to ſhew ere long.