Rublev Lead Whites Part 3- Ceruse

When I began the post on Rublev Lead whites I had planned to discuss them all in at least two posts. However considering how much I wanted to describe each lead white I realized that combining three per post would be too much. Today I am discussing Ceruse a lead white mixed with calcite. Technical info can be found on Natural Pigment's site.

The test samples were painted on canvas toned with Orange Ochre. For the swatches painted with medium I used a low viscosity linseed oil thinned with odorless mineral spirits. This is not the medium I use in my paintings, but a common one used by most oil painters, especially beginners. To test the tinting strength I used it with Venetian Red.

Ceruse

Back in February 2013 when I started to paint again after deciding not to pursue a Ph.D. in classical archaeology, I resumed my research of painting materials as I had done when I was in art school. About this time I began using Rublev paints and I dropped Titanium white altogether from my palette. I also dropped Zinc white, that pigment of dubious permanence still supplied by all the artist grade paint makers. For years I had known that Zinc white becomes brittle when it ages but I had not known that it can cause de-lamination of paint layers. It's indiscriminate use in the 20th century has caused headaches for conservators and it's puzzling why paint makers still churn out this stuff. Oh yeah that tube of Flake white from your favorite paint maker contains Zinc white. Check out info on Natural Pigments site- http://www.naturalpigments.com/art-supply-education/zinc-white-oil-paint-color/

In a world where Titanium white is used by most artists, Zinc white is often used because it is not as opaque as titanium. Zinc white can offer the artist lower tinting strength and scumbles that Titanium is not capable of. When Rublev's Lead White # 2 became a mainstay on my palette I wanted another white that had Zinc white's translucency. After reading about Ceruse I decided to try it out. 

Ceruse is lead white combined with calcite(chalk). The calcite gives the paint greater translucency and enhances it's textural qualities. Several books I have read such as "Art in the Making: Rembrandt" state that during the 17th Century lead white mixed with chalk was common and used by many painters including Rembrandt. The Dutch referred to this as "lootwit" which translates to "lead white" and makes no reference to it's chalk content.

Here we see a nut of Ceruse which had been manipulated with a paint knife. It's not ropey like Lead White # 2 and this bit has held it's peak nicely. If you look closely you can see the slightly gritty texture provided by the calcite.

Straight from the tube with no medium you can see the textural possibilities it's capable of. Ceruse can hold the strokes of brush bristles and it creates soft scumbles. However when it dries it has no sheen and looks dry and chalky.

Here it is used with medium which gives it a matte sheen. It's not apparent in this photo but it has a very nice semi-translucent quality. In fact Ceruse has the greatest translucency of the 7 Rublev lead whites.

This photo shows some Ceruse on the schnauzer's ruff in one of my recent paintings. I apologize for the lower resolution and I will get a better photo when I have a chance. I can't remember much about how I painted the Ceruse parts so I don't recall if I used a medium to apply it or straight out of the tube. I did view it recently and it appears to have yellowed a bit. Maybe I mixed it with a bit of expoxide oil gel medium. I have no idea. For those of you in the Seattle area this painting is on permanent display at Hellbent Brewing in Lake City, Seattle.

This is my second tube of Ceruse since 2013 and it really wasn't one of my favorites for awhile. I think it's chalky finish wasn't appealing to me. However my work is increasingly featuring textured passages and I am currently exploring the possibilities offered by Ceruse.