conté

plural contés

1. Alternative letter-case form of Conté.

plural Contés · alternative Conte · alternative conté

1. countableuncountableartA drawing medium, usually square in cross-section, composed of compressed powdered charcoal or graphite mixed with a clay or wax base.First known use mid 19th c.

   A woman and a girl seated on chairs in a park. Conté crayon.

   1992, Carol Clark, “Catalogue”, in Robert P. O’Neill, editor, American Drawings and Watercolors (The Robert Lehman Collection; VIII), New York, N.Y.: Metropolitan Museum of Art in association with Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 51

   2 more examples

   Conté is an artificial chalk, of which there are various kinds. The square Conté, Number 1, is hard; Number 2, is soft; Number 3, is very soft. […] Dutch Chalk is a new kind, in some respects equal to the best Contés, and sold at a moderate price.

   1849, H[enry] O’Neill, “Materials”, in A Guide to Pictorial Art: How to Use the Black Lead Pencil, Chalks, and Water Colours; […], 4th edition, London: George Rowney, & Co., […], →OCLC, part I, 2nd division (Light and Shade), page 10

   Conté sticks and pencils are made of dry pigments mixed with wax or clay and compressed into square sticks or thin rods that can be held in a metal or wooden holder or sheath. Conté typically comes in varieties of whites, grays, browns, and blacks and in a range of densities from soft to hard; the harder forms have more binder or wax and the softer less.

   2017, Al[bert F.] Gury, “Essential Drawing Materials”, in Foundations of Drawing: A Practical Guide to Art History, Tools, Techniques, and Styles, New York, N.Y.: Watson-Guptill Publications, →ISBN, page 48

   Synonyms: Conté crayon