Earth - Burgundian Black

Figure 35: Black earth. In: Haydocke, Richard. 1598. A Tracte Containing The Artes of Curious Paintinge Carvinge & Buildinge, Richard Haydocke’ s Translation of Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo’s Trattato Del Arte Della Pittura, Scultura Ed Architettura, 1584. London. p. 99-100.

> Black earth (terra negra, terra nera) Figure 35 Quote 20

“blacke made of a kind of rubbish called blacke earth”[1][1] Haydocke. 1598. A Tracte Containing The Artes […] Translation of Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo’s Trattato Del Arte Della Pittura, Scultura Ed Architettura, 1584: p. 99. https://archive.org/details/tractecontaining00loma.

Already in 1431 le Begue, who compiled many manuscripts of Italian origin, refers to terre nigre.[2][102] Translation by Birgit Reissland. In the original Dutch: 'Smeekoole swart. Het smeekole swart is niet / anders als het geen men van / den smis of brouwers kool / met schoon reegenwater / komt tevrijve dat men met / reedelijk kort gom water moet tempereren en / is dan reedelijk vloeijbar / om op verscheije mannieren / tegebruijke gegellijck als hier / tesien is'. In Boogert, 1692, Klaer lightende Spiegel der Verfkonst, Bibliothèque Méjanes in Aix-en-Provence, MS 1389 (1228), n.p. Haydocke, 1598, A Tracte Containing The Artes of Curious Paintinge Carvinge & Buildinge: Richard Haydocke’ s Translation of Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo’s Trattato Del Arte Della Pittura, Scultura Ed Architettura, 1584, London, p. 99. It seems to have been an Italian export product. All consulted Italian treatises of the late sixteenth century include terra ne(g)ra, and it was predominantly present as a black pigment in Italian pigment-price lists of the late sixteenth century, and throughout the seventeenth century.[3][105] Spear, 2010, A Century of Pigment Prices: Seventeenth Century Italy, p. 286, Table A-1, blacks. Amongst the listed black pigments it is even the cheapest. This might explain Lomazzo’s disdain, calling it rubbish.

It seems that Italian black earth was exported to Burgundian territories. While it is not part of the ducal purchases of artists’ materials between 1375-1419, it is mentioned just some months later. For the preparation of decorations, painted flags and shields for the Troyes ceremonies in 1420, 1/2 pound of Noire terre was bought from Collart Le Roy, a mercier.[4][106] Campbell, 2010, Suppliers of Artists’ Materials to the Burgundian Court, p. 183–85 It is questionable if such a cheap black earth was ever applied for one of the most subtle of visual arts, illumination. It is included here since its availability at Burgundian courts as a black pigment is documented in the ducal records.

[1] Haydocke. 1598. A Tracte Containing The Artes […] Translation of Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo’s Trattato Del Arte Della Pittura, Scultura Ed Architettura, 1584: p. 99. https://archive.org/details/tractecontaining00loma.
[2] Le Begue. 1431. BnF MS Latin 6741: fol. 10r, table of synonyms.
[3] Spear. 2010. A Century of Pigment Prices: Seventeenth Century Italy: p. 286, Table A-1, Blacks.
[4] Campbell. 2010. Suppliers of Artists’ Materials to the Burgundian Court: p. 183–85

[1] Haydocke. 1598. A Tracte Containing The Artes […] Translation of Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo’s Trattato Del Arte Della Pittura, Scultura Ed Architettura, 1584: p. 99. http://archive.org/details/tractecontaining00loma.

[3] Spear. 2010. A Century of Pigment Prices: Seventeenth Century Italy: p. 286, Table A-1, Blacks.