Before the graphite pencil became so common, artists used a variety of metals to produce their drawings. Particularly silver. This medium was well utilized by well-known renaissance artists such as John Van Eyke and Leonardo Davinci and other notable names but its roots are in illuminated manuscipts. It was popular among artists, scribes and people of diverse creative professions.
In the arts, silverpoint was primarily used for underdrawing, sketching, and ruling.
A wooden rod would be used as the sketching tool, with a fine silver wire, such as jewelry wire, threaded into it. Silver is a soft metal, yet it holds its shape quite well, making it ideal for fine details and precision.
Although it is typically frequently used on paper, silverpoint can also be used on parchment and wood. Before application, the paper would need to be treated by being covered in several layers of bone ash, chalk, or lead white combined with a gum water solution. In the modern day, gesso or primer is often used instead. As a result of the base, the paper had more bite and ‘take’ to the silver as it passed. Silverpoint appears light when applied; however, after 4-6 months, it oxidizes and turns brownish black. Sulfur can be used to speed up this process.
Other metals, such as copper, gold, platinum, and brass, which have varying levels and times required for oxidation, as well as varied colors and softnesses, were used to acquire different products.
This process can be accelerated using sulfur.
Brass, gold, platinum, copper, and other metals were also used for drawing. They have different levels of oxidation and different periods needed for oxidation to take place. They also come in a variety of softnesses. When creating a drawing and finding the proper product to use, these factors were all taken into consideration.
By the 16th century, freshly discovered graphite was overtaking silverpoint as the dominant medium in the art market for drawing. As trends changed and made silver and metal-point obsolete, a new era of sketching emerged thanks to this easily accessible and erasable substance, bringing us to where we are today.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverpoint
https://www.naturalpigments.com/artist-materials/silverpoint-history
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