before described". "This," continues Mr. Dickson,
"would at the best produce but a very pale blue enamel or a cream. It
was afterwards made with flake white or dry white lead ground in turps
only and mixed with the polishing copal varnish with the addition of
tints as required, by which means a white of any required character
could be produced."

BLUE JAPAN GROUNDS.

Authorities state that these may be formed from bright Prussian blue
or verditer glazed over with Prussian blue or of smalt. By bright
Prussian blue possibly a genuine Prussian blue toned down to a sky
blue with white lead is meant, and by verditer the variety known as
refiners' blue verditer, and as to smalt it must not be forgotten that
it changes its colour in artificial light. Be that as it may, the
pigment may be mixed with the shellac varnish according to the
instructions already given, but as the shellac will somewhat injure
the tone of the pigment by imparting a yellow tinge to it where a
bright true blue is required, the directions already given as regards
white grounds must be carried out.

SCARLET JAPAN GROUND.

Vermilion is the best pigment to use for a scarlet japan ground, and
its effect will be greatly enhanced by glazing it over with carmine or
fine lake. If, however, the highest degree of brightness be required
the white varnish must be used. Vermilion must be stoved at a very
gentle heat.

RED JAPAN GROUND.

The basis of this japan ground is made up with madder lake ground in
oil of turpentine, this constitutes the first ground; when this is
perfectly dry a second coat of lake and white in copal varnish is
applied, and the last coat is made up of lake in a mixture of copal
varnish and turpentine varnish.

BRIGHT PALE YELLOW GROUNDS.

Orpiment or King's yellow may be used, and the effect is enhanced by
dissolving powdered turmeric root in the methylated spirits from which
the upper or polishing coat is made, which methylated spirits must be
strained from off the dregs before the seed-lac is added to it to form
the varnish. The seed-lac varnish is not so injurious to yellow
pigments as it is to the tone of some other pigments, because, being
tinged a reddish yellow, it does little more than intensify or deepen
the tone of the pigment.

GREEN JAPAN GROUNDS.

Green japan grounds are produced by mixing Prussian blue or distilled
verdigris with orpiment, and the effect is said to be extremely
brilliant by applying them o