Arhiva Painting supplies – Collection of Furniture and Household Objects at the Bukovac House

27. December 2023.29. December 2023.

Paint box

The wooden box shaped like a trunk with a metal handle, a lock, and a key. The interior is divided by a wooden partition into a smaller space for brushes and a larger one for paints. Inside the box, there are 20 glass bottles for gouache and 17 brushes, along with one painting spatula. On the inner side of the wooden lid, 15/2 1880 is handwritten.

Except for one glass bottle, all bear the inscription of the manufacturer, SCHOENFELD DUSSELDORF. The dimensions of 19 glass bottles are identical, measuring 6.7 cm in height with a diameter of 2.9 cm. SCHOENFELD DUSSELDORF is a renowned German manufacturer specialised in artist materials founded by Franz Hermann Jozef Schoenfeld (1834 - 1911). On one side of the bottle, there is a red-and-white paper label displaying details of a leading company in Vienna engaged in selling artist materials since 1879. The address, A. Ebeseder Wien, I. Opernring 9, is inscribed, and a number is handwritten, presumably indicating the product’s price. On the other side of the bottle, there is also a paper label with the manufacturer’s mark, the art medium – gouache, and pigment, all written in German and French.

On the belly of one bottle, which differs in dimensions from the others, the inscription CHEVILLET PARIS is stamped. This bottle contains white gouache paint. It was also acquired in Vienna as indicated by the inscription A. Ebeseder on the other side. The dimensions are as follows: height 7.5 cm, width 4.5 cm, and the base is 3.2 cm.

There are 20 pigments in the box: Carmine Lake, Carmine, Deep Madder (dark red), light vermilion, orange chrome, light yellow chrome, light cadmium yellow, raw sienna, golden ochre, brown ochre, Prussian blue x2, cobalt blue, mineral blue, and zinc white. Alongside these paints, there is also a bottle of megilp, a medium used for painting in watercolours or on silk. Megilp is a mixture of mastic, which is a resin from the Mediterranean tree Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia, and oils, which can be linseed, walnut, etc.

Additionally, the box contains 17 brushes for oil paints and one palette knife. Only one brush bears a mark: 20 squirrel MADE IN CHINA, indicating it was made in China from squirrel hair.

27. December 2023.29. December 2023.

Box of pastel colours

The wooden box contains tonally arranged pastel colours divided by a partition into two sections: white-yellow-orange-red-pink-purple-blue (top row); green, brown, grey, black (bottom row). Most of the pastels are broken, only a few remain intact.

On the lid, there is a drawing of a palette with brushes and the mark P. D. along with the inscription Marque de Fabrique. On the side, there is a label that reads: COULEURS VERNIS ARTICLES DARTISTES PIGNEL DUPONT 17 Rue Lepic. Pignel Dupont was an art supplies store located in Paris at 17 Rue Lepic, operating from 1885 to 1895. Many Parisian painters, including Vincent Van Gogh, bought their painting materials from this store.

27. December 2023.29. December 2023.

Painting equipment (easels, palettes)

The use of the easel, or painting stand, dates back to ancient times, as indicated by depictions in Egyptian reliefs.

Throughout history, painters have always used some form of support for their artwork. However, the studio easels, similar to those used today, originated in the 19^th century. They were massive pieces of furniture that could be moved with wheels, serving not only a utilitarian function but also playing a role, along with the overall decoration and scenography of the studio, in impressing potential portrait clients. For oil paintings, the canvas had to be positioned almost vertically to reduce the reflection of wet paint and minimise the possibility of dust contamination while the paint dried. Two such easels, one considerably larger and heavier, are found in the bequest of Vlaho Bukovac. They belong to the standard H-models of easel stands. On the central bar, there is a movable holder that adjusts to the canvas’s height.

The larger easel (KB-1205) has a height-adjusting mechanism that operates on a cog-wheel principle. Along the central bar, there is a metal rod with a thread and a cog-wheel. In front, on the wooden extension where the painting is placed, there is a handle used to raise or lower this holder, anchored to the wooden structure.

The height of the smaller easel (KB-1206) is adjusted using a handle located beneath the wooden extension. Both have wheels for easier mobility. Certain photographs confirm that Bukovac also had a collapsible easel for painting outdoors, but unfortunately, its fate is unknown.

Additionally, the Collection of Furniture and Household Objects contains several of Bukovac’s wooden palettes with remnants of paint, as well as one porcelain palette. They come in different shapes, with a hole for the thumb, and it is possible that he bought them together with other painting supplies, in the renowned store Lefranc & Cie.

27. December 2023.28. December 2023.

Gilding set

The gilding set consists of gold leaves in cardboard covers (KB-408), round cardboard box with gold powder (KB-418), and agate for gilding (KB-432). Judging by the French inscription on the round box Gold poudre, it is most likely of French production. The handle for gilding bears the inscription D.R.G.M. (Deutsches Reich Gebrauchsmuster / German Reich Registered Design), which is also found on the candlesticks with an angel (KB-192/1-2), hence we assume it is of German production. The origin of the gold leaves is unknown as they only bear a handwritten inscription Zlato za pozlaćivanje (Gold for gilding).

27. December 2023.28. December 2023.

Paint mixing device

Inventory label: KB-157

Material: wood, glass, metal

Dimensions: 65 x 50 x 37 cm

Dating: second half of the 19^th century

Origin: Germany

A very rare example of a paint mixing device is made of wood using a connecting rod system and features a glass bottle for emulsifying paint. On the metal cap of the glass bottle, there is a barely readable inscription, but the words DRESDEN and PATENT with corresponding numbers can be discerned. Above the inscription DRESDEN, most likely, is the manufacturer’s name, but only a few letters are legible, which isn’t enough to determine the specific company involved.

Before paint started being commercially produced and packaged in aluminium tubes in the mid-19^th century, painters had to prepare their own paints by grinding pigments and adding a solution of resin or water with various additives. Mechanical mixing would break up clumps and create a uniform emulsion suitable for painting.

27. December 2023.28. December 2023.

Drawing charcoal

Drawing charcoal in a cardboard box. The box bears the label of the manufacturer Lefranc & Cie, Paris. Lefranc & Cie, as the name suggests, is a Parisian store for painting supplies located near the Louvre Museum. The company’s origins date back to 1720 when Charles Laclef sold pigments in the store. It remained a family business until 1821 when it merged with the Merolle family, becoming Merolle-Laclef. In 1853, the official name of the company became Lefranc & Cie, and the logo features a coat of arms surrounded by the letters L and F. The coat of arms consists of a cross between an anchor and a bar intertwined with two ropes, topped with a winged helmet.

27. December 2023.27. December 2023.

Drawing charcoal

27. December 2023.27. December 2023.

Box with painting supplies

The wooden box is shaped like a small chest with a wooden handle, a lock, and metal clasps to close the box. The interior is divided into four separate compartments, and the box contains 16 oil paints by the Czechoslovakian manufacturer Stolo.

The oil paints Stolo/Tvar (1984) likely belonged to Ivanka Bukovac. In 1910, the Czechoslovak academic painter Jozef Stolovsky founded an art paint production in Prague under the brand STOLO, manufacturing oil paints, tempera, and watercolours. Initially, it was a family-owned business, but later, it was nationalized. The Stolovsky family sold the production machinery to the state-owned company Tvar. Tvar added its logo to their products, yet the original Stolo logo remained on the tubes.

The range of oil paints: Pozzuoli red, ochre yellow, silver-white, dark red (madder deep), ochre, ultramarine, golden ochre, zinc white, cadmium orange, Naples light yellow. The box also contains a metal container for turpentine with the following dimensions: height 7.3 cm, width 5 cm, and depth 2 cm. A single metal paint container has a holder at the bottom to attach to the palette, with the following dimensions: width 4.5 cm, height 3 cm, hole diameter 2.5 cm; while a small aluminium container with a lid and pins (eight pieces) has the following dimensions: height 5.1 cm, width 2 cm. The pins are 1 cm in diameter, bearing the inscription ‘NIKO’ and the number 3.

The company Niko Ltd. Zeleznik is a Slovenian company founded in 1964, specialising in the production of mass-produced metal products for office supplies.

The box also contains two metal frames, a fragment of green glass, a plastic bottle of Mastix Firnis by the manufacturer Schminke, on which Turpentine is handwritten, with the following dimensions: height 9.5 cm, width 3.6 cm, depth 2.2 cm; and three pieces of canvas cloth.

27. December 2023.27. December 2023.

Box with painting supplies

A wooden box in the shape of a suitcase with a metal handle, lock, and a metal mechanism for opening the suitcase. The interior is divided into five separate compartments. In three compartments, there are three tin boxes, and within one of them, there is a smaller tin box with two compartments. The wooden box is most likely from the late 19^th century, and it bears the inscription On the Grass - Sketch 1920.

The box contains 20 aluminium tubes of oil paints from various manufacturers: C. Schmidt (identified by a rooster as a trademark), Giftin., Mussini, H. Schmincke & Co Dusseldorf, Dr. Schoenfeld & Co Dusseldorf, and G. B. Moewes Berlin. The pigments include raw sienna, creamy white (silver-white), light cobalt, green earth, Paris blue, ultramarine, Veronese green, light ochre, and burnt umber. Since the tubes have been used, on some, it is not possible to clearly read the manufacturer’s name.

Also, in the box, there is a metal double paint-mixing container. It has a holder at the bottom that attaches to the palette. The number 9 is stamped on it. The dimensions are as follows: width 12.5 cm, height 3.5 cm, and depth 6 cm.

The box also contains charcoal (six pieces), an eraser, two painting spatulas (1. length - 19 cm, width - 1.5 cm; 2. length - 20.5 cm, width - 2 cm), 11 brushes (ranging from 29.6 cm to 32 cm) without markings, two Dr. Schoenfeld brushes (33 cm), and three L. Cisar. Praguri brushes (33 cm).

One larger compartment in the wooden box contains the corresponding metal box with brushes, specifically, two pieces from G. Roweny & Co N6 (32 cm and 33 cm). The company G. Roweny & Co was established in 1783. Brothers Thomas and Richard began as perfume manufacturers and suppliers of wigs in London, but soon shifted to supplying materials for artists. They divided the business, with Thomas taking charge of the artistic material side, and they focused on the production of paints and other art supplies. In 1837, the company was taken over by Thomas’s son George, and it became known as G. Roweny & Co.

Category: Painting supplies

Paint box

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Box of pastel colours

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Painting equipment (easels, palettes)

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Gilding set

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Paint mixing device

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Drawing charcoal

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Drawing charcoal

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Središnji sadržaj

Box with painting supplies

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središnji sadržaj

Box with painting supplies

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središnji sadržaj