Interesting thought but not sure about this;white gold is more difficult to attach to gesso because it’s thicker than gold leaf. White gold has quite a lot of silver to make it white so I would think that it would tarnish as well. Yet another manuscript conundrum - that’s why they’re so fascinating!
Patricia Lovett MBE
it’s scraped away with a knife. The roughened surface attracts more dirt than elsewhere and so is discoloured. Alternatively it could be the stickiness in the gesso (probably honey and liquid at room temperature) which has leached into the skin.
BUT in the Ramsey Psalter it’s all round the letters - here it’s only at the top so what’s going on? The only thing I can think of but it’s not the best suggestion is that there’s more of the stickiness at the start of the stroke than at the end, but honestly, I don’t think it’s that. If it was
Silver AND white gold are thicker than yellow leaf gold - for clarification.
Oh now this is interesting. It’s very similar to that in the Ramsey Psalter and I’m a bit foxed by both. I suggest that there could be two reasons. The first is that gold leaf (white gold/silver??) can stick to the substrate after the last hard burnishing. When a brush doesn’t remove it,
Fabulous Uncials but that silver (?) is amazing - no tarnish at all it seems.
something to do with flake white I could understand it as, being heavier, it falls to the tip of the quill used to lay gesso more quickly than other constituents in the compound - but I just don’t see it as that. So sorry - no actual answer just a couple of pretty weak suggestions!!
That is interesting.White gold and silver I’ve used has tarnished round the edges after about 25 years.The solution is to paint glair in tiny strokes over the top. Silver is also thicker than gold and both are tricky to attach to traditional gesso though there’s little problem with modern adhesives
Oh I recognise this! I painted it for the Book of Hours (well six pages!) for the BBC Production of Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall’. It was such fun to paint the hairs and the punk ears! Details on the link
www.patricialovett.com/a-new-book-o...
For goodness sake - bring that ink pot pillar closer you silly man! The floor will be covered in ink spots and it takes so much time reaching out that far just to dip a quill!!
