Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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          <chap>
            <pb xlink:href="003/01/151.jpg" pagenum="127"/>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. X.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>
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              Of the Method of cutting Marble into thin Scantlings, and what Sand is beſt
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              for that Purpoſe; as alſo of the Difference and Agreement between
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              Moſaic
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Work in Relieve, and Flat, and of the Cement to be uſed in that Sort of Work.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>As to thoſe Incruſtations which are faſten­
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              ed on to the Work, whether flat Facings,
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              or pannelled Work, the ſame Method is to be
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              uſed in both. </s>
              <s>It is very ſurprizing to conſider
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              the Diligence which the Antients uſed in ſaw­
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              ing and poliſhing their Scantlings of Marble.
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              </s>
              <s>I myſelf have ſeen ſome Pieces of Marble above
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              ſix Foot long and three broad, and yet ſcarce
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              half an Inch thick, and theſe have been joined
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              together with a curve Line, that the Spectators
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              might not eaſily find out where the Junctures
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              were.
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              Pliny
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              tells us, that the Ancients com­
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              mended the Sand of
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              Æthiopia
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              as the Beſt for
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              ſawing of Marble, and that the
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              Indian
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              came up
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              the neareſt to it: But that the
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              Ægyptian
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              was
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              rather too ſoft, though even that was better than
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              ours. </s>
              <s>They tell us that there is a Sort found
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              in a certain Flat in the
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              Adriatic
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              Sea, which
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              was much uſed by the Ancients. </s>
              <s>We dig a
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              Sand about the Shore of
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              Pozzuolo,
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              which is not
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              improper for this Purpoſe. </s>
              <s>The ſharp Sand
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              found in any Sort of Torrent is good, but the
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              larger it is, the wider it cuts and the more it
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              eats into the Stone; whereas the ſofter it goes
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              through, the Smoother it leaves the Surface,
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              and the more eaſily to be poliſhed. </s>
              <s>The Po­
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              liſhing muſt be begun with chizzelling, but
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              ended with the ſofteſt and ſmootheſt rubbing.
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              </s>
              <s>The
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              Theban
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              Sand is much commended for rub­
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              bing and poliſhing of Marble; ſo is the Whet­
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              ſtone, and the Emeril, whoſe Duſt nothing can
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              exceed for this Purpoſe. </s>
              <s>The Pumice-ſtone
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              too, for giving the laſt Poliſh, is very uſeful.
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              </s>
              <s>The Scum of calcined Tin, which we call Put­
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              ty, white Lead burnt, the
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              Tripoli
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              Chalk in
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              particular, and the like, if they are beat in­
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              to the fineſt Duſt that poſſibly can be, ſtill re­
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              taining their Sharpneſs, are very good for this
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              Work. </s>
              <s>For faſtening on the Scantlings, if
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              they are thick, fix into the Wall either Pins of
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              Iron, or little Spars of Marble ſticking out from
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              the Wall, to which you may faſten your Scant­
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              ling without any Thing of Cement. </s>
              <s>But if the
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              Scantlings are thin, after the ſecond Plaiſter­
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              ing, inſtead of Mortar, take Wax, Pitch, Ro­
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              ſin, Gum Maſtic, and a good Quantity of any
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              other Sort of Gum whatſoever, all melted and
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              mixed together, and warm your Piece of Mar­
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              ble by degrees, leſt if you put it to the Fire at
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              once of a Sudden, the Heat ſhould make it
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              crack. </s>
              <s>In fixing up your Scantlings, it will be
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              very laudable if the Juncture and Order in
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              which you place them, produce a beautiful Ef­
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              fect, by means of the Veins and Colours an­
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              ſwering and ſetting off one another. </s>
              <s>I am
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              mightily pleaſed with the Policy of the Anci­
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              ents, who uſed to make thoſe Parts which lay
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              neareſt to the Eye as neat and as exactly poliſhed
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              as was poſſible, but did not take ſo much Pains
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              about thoſe which ſtood at any Diſtance, or
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              Heigth, and in ſome Places put them up with­
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              out any poliſhing at all, where they knew the
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              Eye of the moſt curious Examiner could not
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              reach them.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Moſaic
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              Work in Relieve, and
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              that which is flat, agree in this Particular,
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              that both are deſigned to imitate Painting, by
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              means of an artful Compoſition of various Co­
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              lours of Stones, Glaſs, and Shells.
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              Nero
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              is ſaid
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              to have been the Firſt that had Mother of
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              Pearl cut and mixed in
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              Moſaic
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              Work. </s>
              <s>But
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              herein they differ, that in
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              Moſaic
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              Work in Re­
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              lieve we uſe the largeſt Pieces of Marble,
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              &c.
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              that we can get; whereas in the flat
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              Moſaic,
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              we put none but little ſquare Pieces, no big­
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              ger than a Bean; and the ſmaller theſe Pieces
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              are, the more Bright and Sparkling they make
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              the Work, the Light by ſo many different Faces
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              being broke into the more various Parts. </s>
              <s>They
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              differ too in this, that in faſtening on the for­
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              mer, Cement made of Gums is the Beſt; but
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              in the flat Work, we ſhould uſe Mortar made
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              of Lime, with a Mixture of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tyburtine
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              Stone,
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              beat as ſmall as Duſt. </s>
              <s>There are ſome that, in
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              flat Work
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              Moſaic
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              Work, are for ſteeping the
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              Lime often in hot Water, in order to get out
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              its Saltneſs and make it ſofter and more gluey.
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              </s>
              <s>I have known ſome of the hardeſt Stone poliſh­
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              ed upon a Grind-ſtone, in order to be uſed in
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              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Moſaic
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              in Relieve. </s>
              <s>In the flat
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              Moſaic
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Work
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              you may faſten Gold to Glaſs with a Cement
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              of Lead or Litharge, which may be made more
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              liquid than any Sort of Glaſs whatſoever. </s>
              <s>All </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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