A wire of lead, silver, gold, copper, zinc, or alloys of these metals inserted in a holder, usually of wood, is known as a metal stylus. Lead by itself will grip and draw on paper or parchment without a ground. The other metals require grounds and these are made from ground bone or chalk and glue or gum arabic. When the metals scratch the surface, trace amounts of the metals are left and form the limpid lines of metalpoints.

Rembrandt | Thatched Houses | Metalpoint on White Grounded Vellum | 109 x 192 mm. | Staatliche Museen | Berlin

Cennino Cennini gives instructions in his early 15th century work the Libro dell’Arte in how to draw with a metalpoint. The work is conveniently posted in English on the internet here: The Craftsman’s Handbook. He describes different carriers, from box and fig woods to parchment and paper and gives recipes for grounds. His recipes call for bones baked white (chicken or lamb) that are then pulverized and mixed with spittle or glue. He gives a few recipes for tinted papers, where he sets out that the color should be applied in four or five coats, letting each coat dry before applying the next. The colors of the grounds, sometimes with the paintbrush marks visible, are another huge attraction. While the preparation is lengthy, once the paper or vellum is ready it can be used without the encumbrance of brushes and ink pots, making it a suitable medium for out of doors and journeys.

Just below are some metalpoints it would be wonderful to see in a comprehensive metalpoint exhibition.

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