varnish

Ingredients

Mastica, Strasbourg turpentine, turpentine oil

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Simon Eikelenberg prepared a varnish based on a recipe by Samuel van Hoogstraten (p. 261). The quantities used were '2 lot or 1 ounce Mastica', '8 lots or 4 ounces Strasbourg turpentine', and '32 lots or 1 pound turpentine oil' (p. 261). The mastic was slightly broken and placed in a glazed stone pan (p. 264). This pan was placed inside or on another pan filled with white dune sand (a sand bath) to regulate heat, and set on a stove with fire (p. 264). The mastic was covered with a stone lid and melted for roughly thirty minutes (p. 264). Separately, the turpentine balsam was heated until it was thin and 'easy-flowing' (p. 264). The warm turpentine was added to the melted mastic and stirred well. Finally, the turpentine oil was added. Eikelenberg noted that adding the oil all at once caused the mixture to 'curdle' or 'coagulate' due to its coldness; he recommended adding it in 'small amounts' and only once the mixture was sufficiently heated (p. 265).

Evidence

"Our varnish of turpentine, turpentine oil and crushed mastic, melted, serves our works well enough."

Remarks

Eikelenberg's notes emphasize the 'specificity and idiosyncrasy of an act of making' (p. 248). He documented various failures, such as the varnish initially being 'rather thin' and not covering well (p. 266). To correct this, he reheated the mixture on the sand bath to allow for evaporation until it reached a thickness where it was 'slightly too hot to keep my finger in' (p. 266). The final result was described as 'a good varnish... very clear and shiny' (p. 266).