The Book of the Art of Cennino Cennini

A contemporary practical treatise on Quattrocento painting

Cennino Cennini, Christiana J. Herringham

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351342827
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

A Translated version of the Art of Cennino Cennini. A contemporary practical treatise on Quattrocento Painting, including notes on medieval methods, and early explanations of oil painting and other techniques.

THE BOOK OF THE ART
OF
CENNINO CENNINI

HERE BEGINS THE BOOK OF THE ART

Made and composed by Cennino da Colle, in the reverence of God, and of the Virgin Mary, and of St. Eustachius, and of St. Francis, and of St. John the Baptist, and of St. Anthony of Padua, and generally of all the saints of God, and in the reverence of Giotto, of Taddeo, and of Agnolo the master of Cennino, and for the utility and good and advantage of those who would attain perfection in the art.

CHAPTER 1. ¹

IN the beginning, when the omnipotent God created the heaven and the earth, above all living creatures and plants for food, he created man and woman after his own image, endowing them with all virtues. Afterwards came misfortune, through the envy of Lucifer towards Adam; who with malice and subtlety induced him to sin against the commandment of God, that is, first Eve, and then Eve deceived Adam; and God was angered against Adam, and caused him and his companion to be driven by an angel out of Paradise, saying to them, “Because you have disobeyed the commandment which God gave to you, by your labour and exertions shall you support your-selves.” Then Adam, knowing the sin he had committed, and being nobly endowed by God, as the root and origin and father of us all, discovered by his wisdom that it was necessary to find a way to live by his own manual exertions, and thus he began by digging and Eve by spinning. Afterwards he carried on many necessary arts, different each from the other, and each more scientific than the other; for they could not be all equally so. Now, the most worthy is Science; after which comes an art derived from science and dependent on the operations of the hand, and this is called Painting, for which we must be endowed with both imagination (fantasia) and skill in the hand, to discover unseen things concealed beneath the obscurity of natural objects, and to arrest them with the hand, presenting to the sight that which did not before appear to exist. And well does it deserve to be placed in the rank next to science, and to be crowned by Poetry: and for this reason, that the poet, by the help of science, becomes worthy, and free, and able to compose and bind together, or not, at pleasure. So to the painter liberty is given to compose a figure, either upright or sitting, or half man, half horse, as he pleases, according to his fancy. Therefore, whether through great reverence or love, let all those persons who feel in themselves any kind or manner of knowledge, or power to help and adorn these principal sciences with some jewel, put themselves forward without any bashfulness, offering to the above-named sciences this little knowledge which God has given them.

A humble working member then of the art of painting, I, Cennino, born of Drea Cennino of the Colle de Valdelsa, was instructed in these arts for twelve years by Agnolo, son of Taddeo of Florence, my master, who learned the art from Taddeo his father, who was the godson of Giotto, and was his disciple for twenty-four years. This Giotto changed the art of painting from the Greek to the Latin (manner), and brought it to the modern (style); and he possessed more perfect art than ever any one else had had. In order to assist all those who would approach this art, I shall take note of all that was taught me by my master Agnolo, and of that which I have proved with my own hand; invoking first the high omnipotent God,—that is to say, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; secondly, that most delightful advocate of all sinners the Virgin Mary, and St. Luke the Evangelist, the first Christian painter, and my advocate St. Eustachius, and generally all the saints, male and female, of Paradise.

CHAP. 2.—How some persons study the arts from nobleness of mind, and some for gain.

It is the impulse of a noble mind which moves some towards this art, pleasing to them through their natural love. The intellect delights in invention; and nature alone draws them, without any guidance from a master, through nobleness of mind; and thus delighting themselves, they next wish to find a master, and with him they place themselves in love of obedience, being in servitude that they may carry their art to perfection. There are some who follow the arts from poverty and necessity, also for gain, and for love of the art; but those who pursue them from love of the art and true nobleness of mind are to be commended above all others.

CHAP. 3.—What to do in the beginning of the pursuit of art.

Now then, you of noble mind, who are lovers of this good, come at once to art and adorn yourselves with this vesture,—namely, love, reverence, obedience, and perseverance. And as soon as thou canst, begin to put thyself under the guidance of the master to learn, and delay as long as thou mayest thy parting from the master.

CHAP. 4.–How the rule shows into what parts and members the arts are divided.

The foundation of the art and the beginning of all these labours of the hand is drawing and colouring. To these two parts these things are necessary; namely, to know¹ how to grind colours; to use glue; to fasten the cloth on the panel; to prime with gesso, to scrape and smooth the gesso; to make relievos in gesso; to put on bole; to gild; to burnish; to temper colours; to lay on ground colours; to trace by dusting powder²; to engrave by lines and by stamps (?); to carve; to colour; to adorn and to varnish pictures, To paint on walls it is necessary to wet them; to cover them with mortar; to embellish them; to polish (smooth) them; to design, to colour in fresco and finish in secco; to temper the colours; adorn³ and retouch. And this is the rule of the above-named grades, as to which, with that little knowledge which I have learned, I will explain step by step.

CHAP. 5.—In what manner to begin drawing on a small panel, and how to prepare it.

As has been said, it is necessary that you should have the habit of beginning to draw correctly.¹

First, have a small panel of boxwood a hand length wide each way, well smoothed and clean,—that is to say, washed with clean water, rubbed and polished with sepia (bone of the cuttie-fish), which the goldsmith uses for marking. When this panel is quite dry, take a sufficient quantity of bones well ground for two hours, and the finer they are ground, the better they will be. Then collect the powder, and put it into dry paper; and when you want to prime the panel, take less than half the size of a bean of this bone-dust or less, mix it up with saliva, and before it is dry spread it with the finger over the surface of the panel, and before it dries, hold the panel in the left hand, and with the tip of the forefinger of the right hand, beat upon the panel until you see that it is quite dry, and that the bone-dust is spread all over it equally.

CHAP. 6.—How drawing can be done on several kinds of panels.

A tablet of old figwood is suitable;¹ also certain tablets used by merchants which are made of parchment prepared with gesso coated with white lead and oil, using the bone-dust as I have said.

CHAP. 7.— What kind of bones are proper for priming panels.

You must now know what bones are proper. For this purpose take the bones of the thighs and wings of fowls or capons; and the older they are the better. When you find them under the table, put them in the fire, and when you see they are become whiter than ashes, take them out, and grind them well on a porphyry slab, and use it as I say above.

CHAP. 8.—In what manner you should begin to draw with a style, and with what light.

The bones also of the leg and shoulder of mutton are good, burnt as before directed. Then take a style of silver or brass, or anything else provided the point is silver, sufficiently fine (sharp) and polished and good. Then, to acquire command of hand in using the style, begin to draw with it from a copy as freely as you can, and so lightly that you can scarcely see what you have begun to do, deepening your strokes little by little, and going over them repeatedly to make the shadows. Where you would make it darkest go over it many times; and, on the contrary, make but few touches on the lights. And you must be guided by the light of the sun, and the light of your eye, and your hand; and without these three things you can do nothing properly. Contrive always when you draw that the light is softened, and that the sun strikes on your left hand; and in this manner you should begin to practise drawing only a short time every day, that you may not become vexed or weary.

CHAP. 9.—How to arrange the light, and give chiaroscuro and proper relief to your figures.

If by accident it should happen, that when drawing or copying in chapels, or colouring in other unfavourable places, you cannot have the light on your left hand, or in your usual manner, he sure to give relief to your figures or design according to the arrangement of the windows which you find in these places, which have to give you light, and thus accommodating yourself to the light on which side soever it may be, give the proper lights and shadows. Or if it were to happen that the light should enter or shine right opposite or full in your face, make your lights and shades accordingly; or if the light should be favourable at a window larger than the others in the above-mentioned places, adopt always the best light, and try to understand and follow it carefully, because, wanting this, your work would be without relief, a foolish thing, without mastery.

CHAP. 10.—The manner and process of drawing on parchment and on paper, and how to shade with water-colours.

Let us return to our subject. You may also draw upon parchment, and paper made of cotton. On parchment you may draw or sketch with the above-named style, first rubbing and spreading some of the powdered bone – dust over the parchment, scattered thinly and brushed off with a hare’s foot, and powdered like writing-powder or resin.¹

If you like, when you have completed your drawing with the style, in order to make it clearer, you may fix the outlines and necessary touches with ink, then shade the folds with water-colour made of ink, that is, water about as much as a nutshell will hold, into which are put two drops of ink, and shade with a brush made of tails of the minever, blunt and nearly always dry.

And then, according to the shades required, you must blacken the water with a few drops of ink. In the same manner you may shade with colours and clothlet tints¹ (pezzuole), such as miniature painters use; mix your colours with gum, or with the clear or albumen of an egg well beaten and liquefied.

CHAP. 11.—How to draw with a leaden style.

It is possible also to draw on parchment without bone-dust with a style of lead; that is, with two parts of lead, and one of tin, well beaten with a hammer.

CHAP. 12.—How, when drawing with a leaden style, an error may be corrected.

You may draw on paper also with the above-mentioned leaden style, either with or without bone-dust; and if at any time you make an error, or you wish to remove any marks made by the leaden style, take a little crumb of bread, rub it over the paper, and efface whatever you please. And on this kind of paper, in the same manner, you may shade with ink, or colours, or clothlet tints (pezzuole), with the before-mentioned vehicle.

CHAP. 13.—How drawing with the pen should be practised.

When you have practised drawing in this manner one year, either more or less, according to the pleasure you take in it, you may sometimes draw on paper with a fine-pointed pen. Draw lightly, working up your lights and your half-lights and your shades gradually, retouching many lines with your pen. And if you would have your drawing more highly finished use a little water-colour, as before directed, with a blunt-pointed minever brush. Do you know what will be the consequence of this practice of drawing with the pen? It will make you expert, skilful, and capable of making original designs.

CHAP. 14.—How to make a pen for the purpose of drawing.

If you would know how to make a pen of a goose-quill, take a firm quill, place it on the two fingers of the left hand, the under side of the quill upwards; take a good sharp penknife, and cut away about the width of a finger along the length of the quill, and cut it drawing the penknife towards you, taking care that the cut should be even and in the middle of the pen. Then replace the penknife on one of the edges of this pen, that is, on the left side which is opposite to you, and pare downwards, making it thinner towards the point, and cut round the other edge of the pen and bring it to the same point. Turn the pen over, put it on the thumb-nail of the left hand, and gently scrape and nib the point, and ma...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Preface
• Table of Contents
• Of The Author of the ‘Trattato’
• The Pedigree of the ‘Trattato’
• The Book of the Art
• Notes on Mediæ;val Art Methods—
• List of Authorities Referred to
• Index