[MR] sealing wax, candle wax, etc.

[Alex Long]

It would seem logical to me that mixing molten wax with oil based pigments would be a reasonable recipe for a sealing. As evidenced by existing painted artworks we know there existed at the very least the very basic black, white, blue, yellow, and red, which can be mixed to create any other color. 
Theoretically the sealing sticks would not have been any more expensive than the pigments, so that generally speaking anyone who was educated could probably afford them. 

In candles, white reflects more light than colors, and it might be a waste of pigment...but then, if you look at the candle chandelier from King Rene's tournament book, you will clearly see the candles are yellow. 
http://www.greydragon.org/furniture/chandeliers.html

So who knows, maybe colored candles did exist. If they did, perhaps we do not have a lot of evidence because they were rare and expensive. 
Some modern colored candles (the less expensive ones) are not a solid colored wax but rather white wax with a slip, or colored coating. That is also a possibility. 

Yet another option would be the concept that wax in itself was very expensive and what we usually see in paintings is actually tallow. The proteins in the tallow might react poorly to pigments, making them difficult to color. 

Someday when I build my time machine & go visit the middle ages, I'll make sure to take lots of photos & notes, so we'll know for sure. [grin]


-- Ceara ní Néill 
http://www.HouseBarra.com 
Quare Operor Quisquam Dimidium?



--- On Wed, 1/7/09, David Austin <grandaustino at gmail.com> wrote:

>From various recreations that I have seen in my travels I beleive that a
special sealing wax was used that was a hardend wax that was a block as
opposed to using a candle.  I'm not sure about which colors are appropriate
to which time period.

Morgant

On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM, <atlantia-request at atlantia.sca.org> wrote:

> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 11:19:48 -0500
> From: "Smith CTR Jeffrey C" <jeffrey.c.smith.ctr at usmc.mil>
> Subject: Re: [MR] Open Flames


>
> While this may not be exactly the same thing, certainly red seals (as in
> signets) existed so red wax was available -- my understanding is that
> sealing with red wax was the perogative of a sovereign, but I haven't
> researched it myself.  I speculate that red candles were available only to
> the very wealthy due to cost of manufacture.  I suspect you are right that
> white or beeswax-yellow candles would predominate.
>
> Barcsi Janos
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: atlantia-bounces at atlantia.sca.org 
> Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 10:34
> To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
> Subject: Re: [MR] Open Flames
>
> Red candle wax?
>
> The popularity of coloured candles is, I'm pretty certain, a modernism.?
> Any images of candles I've seen in historical paintings or the like have
> been plain white or off-white (a la beeswax).? And not only are white or
> off-white?candles more accurate historically, they are a lot less messy.
>
> Your servant aye
> Donal