Annotation Plans
Fall 2016
Making & Knowing

Partners: Charles Kang & Isabella Lores-Chavez

PHS: see work of Bertrand Bergbauer; Erhart Marchand, in The Matter of Art

Annotation 2: Wax Compounds
[Plans for Annotation 1 can be found here.]

Recipes

Primary Recipe: 139v_1 (continued on 140r)

Transcription
<id>p139v_1</id>
<head>Gect en <m>cire</m> pour representer<lb/>
lanimal quon na point</head>

<ab>P{rens} <m>cire blanche</m> qui est plus propre pour cest oeuvre que<lb/>
nul aultre a cause quelle est plus ferme &amp; ne laisse pas<lb/>
tant de crasse Aultant que tu en auras besoing pour<lb/>
mouler lanimal que tu proposes &amp; non plus Et la<lb/>
moictie aultant de <m>charbon pile</m> &amp; subtillem{ent} passe par<lb/>
un linge ou manche de <m>charbon</m> donne couleur <add>de corps</add> a la <m>cire</m><lb/>
qui aultrement seroit transparente &amp; ne se verroit<lb/>
pas si bien le traict Mects doncq ta <m>cire</m> a fondre<lb/>
a foeu de charbons Et co{mm}e elle sera bien fondue &amp; bien liquide<lb/>
Ayes pour une pleine escuelles a oreille de <m>cire</m> fondue<lb/>
du <m>soufre</m> <del>la</del> aultant quune grosse noix pulverise le<lb/>
fais le fondre sur foeu lent &amp; co{mm}e il sera fondu ne le<lb/>
laisse pas sur le foeu car il viendroit <add>trop</add> dur Mays retire<lb/>
le &amp; le mouve tousjours avecq un petit baston &amp; laisse passer<lb/>
son ebullition &amp; co{mm}e il sera liquide co{mm}e <m>eau</m> gecte le dans<lb/>
la <m>cire</m> que tu auras oster de dessus le foeu Et mesle &amp;<lb/>
remue tousjours lun &amp; laultre affin quilz se meslent bien<lb/>
Apres mesles y en remuant tousjours &amp; a plusieurs foys<lb/>
le <m>charbon</m> susdicts pulverise a plusieurs foys Et co{mm}e il<lb/>
sera bien incorpore Advise si ta <m>cire</m> a passe sa grande<lb/>
chaleur ce que tu cognoistras quand elle ne fume plus quand<lb/>
elle faict de grands traicts <del>s</del> <del>[illegible]</del> tirants aulx borts &amp; non milieu<lb/>
&amp; pres <del>de</del> luy de laultre Car si tu gectois trop chault tu ne<lb/>
pourrois separer ta <m>cire</m> du moule &amp; prendroit au gect<lb/>
Co{mm}e elle est en ce bon estat remue la du{n} petit baston affin<lb/>
que le <m>charbon</m> pulverise soict par tout &amp; non pose au<lb/>
fonds Et en ceste sorte gecte dans ton moule petit a petit<lb/>
&amp; non a coup pourceque la <m>cire</m> par son onctuosite ne coule</ab>

<ab>
<margin>left-top</margin>
Ceste <m>cire noire<lb/>
soufree</m> est pour<lb/>
esbaucher des<lb/>
figures rondes<lb/>
qui ne sont poinct<lb/>
en despouille<lb/>
Et quil fault<lb/>
brusler dans le<lb/>
moule a noyau<lb/>
plustost que louvrir<lb/>
<del>po</del> co{mm}e celles qui<lb/>
ont quelque<lb/>
advancement ou<lb/>
enlassem{ent} de bras<lb/>
&amp; jambes Et lors<lb/>
ceste <m>cire</m> par le<lb/>
moyen du <m>soufre</m><lb/>
se font avecq<lb/>
fort peu de chaleur<lb/>
et sort sans<lb/>
laisser aulcune<lb/>
crasse Si par<lb/>
cas fortuit le<lb/>
<m>charbon</m> pile y<lb/>
demeure en cendre<lb/>
en ouvrant le<lb/>
moule &amp; soufla{n}t<lb/>
dedans il demeure<lb/>
net</ab>

<ab>
<margin>left-bottom</margin>
Pour fayre<lb/>
<al>serpents</al> de <m>cire</m><lb/>
ou aultre chose<lb/>
pour apliquer<lb/>
sur un cierge il<lb/>
les fault gecter de <m>cire</m> a esbaucher de toutes couleurs</ab>

<cont/>
</div>

<page>140r</page>
<div>
<cont/>
<id>p139v_1</id>

<ab>
pas co{mm}e aultre chose &amp; pour ceste ocasion tu peulx gecter a deulx<lb/>
ou trois fois jusques a ce que ton moule soict plain Or quand<lb/>
au moule qui est de <m>plastre</m> blanc pulverise &amp; recuit co{mm}e pour<lb/>
le sable des praecedents Tu le doibs avoyr faict de longue<lb/>
main car il sert plusieurs foys Mays plustost que ten servir<lb/>
fais le tremper une bonne heure dans l<m>eau froide</m> &amp; pour le<lb/>
moings aultant dans l<m>eau <add>si</add> chaulde</m> quau commancem{ent} tu ny puisses<lb/>
tenir le doigt Et <del>y</del> advise quil <add>ne</add> <del>A</del> semboive plus <del>Ainsi</del> ains<lb/>
quil se demonstre bien mouille par tout sans que l<m>eau</m> semboive<lb/>
dans luy Et le sortant clos de l<m>eau chaulde</m> gecte ta <m>cire</m><lb/>
en tel estat de chaleur que dict a este Et volontiers le<lb/>
premier ne second gect ne vient gueres bien jusques a ce<lb/>
que le moule soict imbu Laisse le refroidir plustost que<lb/>
louvrir affin que la chose gectee ne se rompe Tu cognoist<lb/>
que le gect est bon quand la <m>cire</m> renversee par dehors le<lb/>
moule est tanvre et unie Souvienne toy de faire force<lb/>
gects tout le long du moule affin que la <m>cire</m> coure mieux<lb/>
ainsy </ab>

<ab>Fais le premier
<figure>
<id>fig_p140r_1</id>
<link>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9-oNrvWdlO5NFdsdU4tVFgxOTg</link>
</figure> gect large deulx fois plus quaulx aultres<lb/>
moules Et si au premier gect ton ouvrage soufle et ne<lb/>
vient pas bien net <del>ne</del>cest tout un car il faut que tu faces<lb/>
estat que les trois ou quattre premiers ne sont volontiers<lb/>
pas bons Au premier tu cognois sil y a quelques barbes<lb/>
qui gardent de bien despouiller Et tu les ostes si dellemesmes elles<lb/>
ne sostent aulx deulx ou trois premiers gects Et tant plus tu gecteras<lb/>
tant plus tu feras net Et ton moule te servira plus de cent fois<lb/>
sil est bien gouverne Mays il est bon de le tremper une nuict ou<lb/>
un jour plustost qui gecter affin quil soict bien imbu Le mesme<lb/>
se doibt faire pour les fruicts de <m>sucre</m> Ceste <m>cire</m> est fort<lb/>
doulce &amp; amiable &amp; pliante co{mm}e <m>cuivre</m> et si est forte a cause du<lb/>
<m>soufre</m> qui la rend beaucoup plustost fondante que laultre ainsy<lb/>
que tu en peulx faire preuve sur une ardoise chaulde Et le <m>soufre</m><lb/>
que tu y auras mis se trouvera a la seconde foys que tu la fondra<lb/>
craques au fonds Ayant ainsy passe par la <m>cire</m> il ne senflamme<lb/>
poinct a la chandelle Et a ceste ocasion <del>que</del> je croy quil gecteroit fort<lb/>
[illegible] la medaille On se sert de la mesme <m>cire</m> au lieu de vernis pour gra[illegible]</ab>

Translation
<id>p139v_1</id>
<head>Casting <m>wax</m> to mold an animal that one has not got</head>

<ab>Take some <m>white wax</m> which is much more appropriate for this kind of work than anything else, because it is much firmer and does not leave as much filth, as much as you need to cast the animal that you propose, and no more. And [take] a half quantity of <m>ground coal</m> and neatly sieved through a cloth or coal sleeve, using it to give some color to your <m>wax</m>, that would otherwise be transparent and you will not be able to see your lines as clearly. Put your <m>wax</m> on the coal fire to melt. And when it is well-melted and well-liquified, take a full eared-porringer of melted wax, [and] as much <m>sulphur</m> as the amount of a large pulverized walnut. Melt all of over a slow fire and when it is melted, do not leave it on the fire because it will become too hot. But take it off and keep stirring it with a little stick and when it has finished bubbling and is as liquified as water, cast it into the <m>wax</m> that you will have previously removed from the fire. And mix and stir both of the them so that they join together. After stir in little by little while continuously mixing, the <m>charcoal</m> that has been repeatedly ground, and in this way it will be very well incorporated. This is how you will know that your <m>wax</m> has gone beyond its ideal heating point, it will release no more smoke, it will start to have lines appearing on the side and not in the middle, and those lines will be close to each other. If you cast too hot, you will not be able to separate your wax from your mold and it would stick to the cast. When it is at the right state, stir it with a little stick so that the pulverized <m>charcoal</m> is well mixed in and has not fallen to the bottom of the mixture. And in this way, throw it in your mold bit by bit and not in one go, because <m>wax</m> is not runny.</ab>

<ab>
<margin>left-top</margin>
This black sulphured <m>wax</m> is for fashioning round figures that do not come out of the mold. And they need to be burned in the moule au noyau rather than be opened like the ones that have something jutting out or an intertwining of legs and arms. And this <m>wax</m>, thanks to the <m>sulphur,</m> will melt with little heat and leave without leaving any filth. If by some misfortune the crushed <m>charcoal</m> remains in ashes, when you open the mold and blow on it, it will come clean.</ab>

<ab>
<margin>left-bottom</margin>
To make wax serpents or other things to affix to candles, it is necessary to cast them with esbaucher <m>wax</m> of all colors.</ab>
</div>

<page>140r</page>
<div>
<cont/>
<id>p139v_a1</id>
<ab>not like other things. And for this one, you can cast two or three times until your mold is full. Now, concerning this mold of pulverized <m>white plaster</m> &amp; reheated in the manner of the <m>sand</m> from the preceding recipes, you should have made it long ago because it is used many times. But, before using it, soak it for a good hour in <m>cold water</m>, &amp; at a minimum, at least as long in <m>hot water</m> that at first is so hot that you can't hold your finger in it. And not that it absorbs no more, but that it appears very wet overall without water seeping into it. In removing it closed from the <m>hot water</m>, cast your <m>wax</m> in such a state of heat as has been described. And neither the first nor the second casting will readily come out well, hardly, until the mold is soaked. Let it cool down before opening it so that the cast thing not break. You will know that the casting is good when the <m>wax</m> coming back out of the mold is thin and even. Remember to make several castings along the whole length of the mold so that in this way the <m>wax</m> runs better.</ab>

<ab>Make the first
<figure>
<id>fig_p140r_1</id>
<link>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9-oNrvWdlO5NFdsdU4tVFgxOTg</link>
</figure> casting twice as large as other molds. And if, in the first casting, your work fills with bubbles and in so doing does not come out neatly, it's all the same, because you have to face the fact that the three or four first do not readily come out well. Firstly, you will know whether there are a few barbs that keep it from stripping well. And you will remove them if, on their own, they do not remove themselves in the two or three first castings. And the more that you cast, the more you will do it neatly. And your mold will serve you more than one hundred times if it Is well governed. But it is good to soak it one night or one day before casting so that it be well soaked. The same must be done for fruits made from sugar. This <m>wax</m> is very soft &amp; friendly &amp; pliant, like copper. And if it is hard [this is] because of <m>sulfur</m>, which makes it melt more easily than than other [wax], so much that you can see evidence on a hot slate. And the <m>sulfur</m> that you put inside will be found the second time that you melt it, [as] cracks on the bottom. Having in this way passed through <m>wax</m>, it will not catch fire at all when put to a candle. And in this case, I believe that it will cast quite the medal [illegible]. One uses the same <m>wax</m> in place of <m>varnish</m> to [illegible].</ab>

Secondary Recipes
138v_3: Imitation diamonds set into the work
150v_1: Molding hollow
165r_1: To repair
165r_6: Reparing snakes and lizards
169v_2: Reducing a round form into a hollow one

[phs: change translation of earwax in ms GD to ear tallow, with note to Charles' research]

Preliminary Outline

A. FOCUS: This annotation aims to explore the versatility of wax and wax compounds in the author-practitioner’s workshop. It will focus on a wax compound referred to as “black sulfured wax.”
  1. Among different wax compounds mentioned in the manuscript. “black sulfured wax” stands out as one for which the author-practitioner provides more detailed instructions and descriptions.
  2. 139v_1 in particular suggests that the compound—for its ability to melt more quickly than unaltered wax—was particularly useful for certain types of casting.
  3. “Black sulfured wax” may be related to “black wax” (occurring four times in the manuscript) and “esbaucher wax” (mentioned in a note to 139v_1).

B. MATERIAL, TOOLS, AND TECHNIQUES
  1. Materials (precise quantities for reconstrution will have to be determined - see 3. Workflow below)
    • White wax: NOT in lab inventory. Further research is need to determine whether "cire blanche" is equivalent to modern bleached beeswax.
    • Ground coal: powdered charcoal (20 grams) is in lab inventory, but the source is unknown. New ground coal should be made from vine charcoal available in lab.
    • Sulfur: sulfur powder (recorded 2.5 lbs, but probably less after this semester's skill building exercises) in lab inventory.
  2. Tools
    • Mortar and pestle to crush coal
    • "Cloth or coal sleeve": what is a coal sleeve (manche de charbon)? More research needed. Cheesecloth (6 ft^2) is in lab inventory
    • “Full eared-porringer”: note that, in the manuscript, it also functions as a volumetric measure for wax. I will use two metal crucibles in the lab (to melt wax and sulfur separately - see 3. Workflow below).
    • Sticks to stir mixtures
    • Two hotplates ( to melt wax and sulfur separately - see 3. Workflow below)
    • Molds or containers: silicone molds (2) in lab inventory. In addition, a rudimentary mold may be prepared out of casting sand prepared according to the manuscript (if available in lab)
  3. Workflow
    • Quantity assessment
      • The recipe appears to indicate quantity in volumes.
      • The ratio of white wax to charcoal is 2:1.
      • The ratio of white wax to sulfur is 1 eared porringer to 1 walnut. Further discussion is needed to determine the volume of a eared porringer, before determining the quantity of sulfur.
    • Grinding/sifting the coal
      • The author practitioner asks for "repeatedly ground" and "sieved" coal.
    • Heating/melting/mixing
      • I think "fais le fondre sur foeu lent" has been mistranslated. The object pronoun le here most likely refers to sulfur (le soufre), rather than "all."
      • Thus, the porringer full of wax should be melted separately from sulfur before being mixed together.
      • Once the wax and sulfur mixed together, ground charcoal will be added gradually. The mixture will be constantly stirred until "it will release no more smoke, it will start to have lines appearing on the side and not in the middle, and those lines will be close to each other."
      • In order to keep ground charcoal evenly distributed throughout the liquid, the mixture will be poured little by little into molds. The mixture will be constantly stirred.
  4. Analysis:
    • In 139v_1, the compound is used for casting. Instead of following the rest of the recipe, which is too vague, I will use an alternative setup to observe the behavior of the compound as described by the author-practitioner (e.g. casting in a candy mold - NB Landsman-Rowen annotation).
    • I will use modern analytic methods to determine material properties of the compound in comparison with other compounds mentioned in the manuscript. For the latter, I plan to work with Columbia's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). Possible criteria include:
      • Material composition and trace elements
      • Verification of mechanical properties: e.g. density, melting point, smoking point.

C. SAFETY: because of sulfur, the compound will be prepared under the fume hood with PPE (lab coat, safety glasses, and nitrile gloves)
  1. Coal: Chemwatch to be consulted
  2. Sulfur: Chemwatch to be consulted again
  3. Proper procedure will be determined for transporting the compound to MRSEC labs for further analysis.

D. MANUSCRIPT RESEARCH

E. HISTORICAL RESEARCH: Research will emphasize wax compounds in contemporaneous sources and secondary sources.
  1. Working Bibliography: Primary Sources
    • Cellini
    • Theophilus
    • Biringuccio
    • Cennini
  2. Working Bibliography: Secondary Sources
    • Beretta, Marco. “Usi scientifici della cera nell’antichità,” in Quaderni Storici, 2009 XLIV 1, 15-34.
    • Büll, Reinhard. Das grosse Buch vom Wachs: Geschichte, Kultur, Technik. München: Callwey, 1977.
    • Daninos, Andrea, ed. Waxing Eloquent: Italian Portraits in Wax. Milan: Officina Libraria, 2012.
    • Didi-Huberman, Georges. “Viscosities and Survivals.” In Ephemeral Bodies: Wax Sculpture and the Human Figure, edited by Roberta Panzanelli, translated by Jane Marie Todd, 154–63. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute, 2008.
    • Kretzschmar, Marthe. Herrscherbilder aus Wachs: lebensgrosse Porträts politischer Machthaber in der frühen Neuzeit. Berlin: Reimer, 2014.
    • Pinkus, Assaf. Sculpting Simulacra in Medieval Germany, 1250-1380. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2014.
    • Piraino Papoff, Pietro. Ceroplastica: percorso storico e fotografico di un’arte antica. Marsala: Navarra, 2011.
    • Schlosser, Julius von. “History of Portraiture in Wax.” In Ephemeral Bodies: Wax Sculpture and the Human Figure, edited by Roberta Panzanelli, translated by James Michael Loughridge, 171–303. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute, 2008.
    • Simonetti, Farida. Sortilegi di cera : la ceroplastica tra arte e scienza. Genova: Sagep, 2012.
    • Le Breton, Gaston. Essai historique sur la sculpture en cire. Rouen: E. Cagniard, 1894.

F. OBJECT RESEARCH:
  1. According to 139v_1, the compound is used as a casting aid. As such, it is discarded during the casting process. Finding a comparative object is therefore impossible. Instead, a further analysis of the casting process itself will provide a basis for identifying cast objects produced through the same or a similar process.
  2. In addition, I will identify late-sixteenth century wax objects in various museums and consult their conservation reports when available. The V&A for example has the followong objects, among others:
    • Male écorché figure, unknown artist (formerly attributed to Michelangelo), late sixteenth century, cast red wax. 4115-1854.
    • David, unknown artist (formerly attributed to Michelangelo), ca. 1580, red wax. 4106-1854.
    • A right arm écorgé, unknown artist (formerly attributed to Michelangelo), ca. 1550, red wax. 4109-1854.
    • Right leg écorgé, attributed to Ludovico Cigoli, late sixteenth century, reddish wax kneaded with tow. 4110-1854.
    • Right arm écorgé, unknown artist (formerly attributed to Michelangelo), ca. 1550 - ca. 1600, red wax. 4112-1854.
    • Left leg écorgé, unknown artist (formerly attributed to Michelangelo), ca. 1550 - ca. 1600, red wax. 4113-1854.
    • Anatomical figure, unknown artist (formerly attributed to Michelangelo), ca. 1550 - ca. 1600, wax on copper wire. 4114-1854.
    • Christ Rejected by the Jews (Ecce Homo), Giambologna, ca. 1579 - ca. 1580, red wax on a wooden ground. 329-1879.
    • Christ before Pilate, Giambologna, ca. 1579 - ca. 1580, red wax on a wooden ground. 328-1879.
    • Pilate Washing His Hands and Christ Led from Judgement, Giambologna, ca. 1579 - ca. 1580, red wax on a wooden ground. 330-1879.
    • Don Carlos of Spain, Antonio Abondio, ca. 1570-1572, wax relief in a copper-gilt locket. A.525:1, 2-1910.
    • Philip II of Spain, Antonio Abondio, ca. 1570-1572, wax relief in a copper-gilt locket. A.523-1910.
    • The Rape of the Sabines, ca. 1579-80, cast and modeled wax. 1092-1854.