It was effected in watercolor, probably by a hired artist working on the fanned pages “with as dry a brush as possible.” When the paint dried, the finisher squared the pages, then coated them (using camel hair or a sponge) with a mixture of red chalk, black lead, water, and muriatic acid, finally cutting the gold leaf to size and placing it on the surface. The technique is so effective that many book owners fail to notice the magical, disappearing paintings in their collections.
