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Egg Tempera Painting
Egg Tempera Painting
Egg tempera is a type of paint made by adding pigments to a mixture of egg yolk and water. In some instances,
oils or waxes are added to the paint; in such cases, the egg acts as an emulsifier, making the mixture water-
soluble. Historically, other materials such as plant gum (including gum arabic, the traditional binder for
watercolors), casein (a protein found in milk), and even honey were sometimes added.
Egg tempera is considered to be the second-oldest form of painting (not including Paleolithic cave paintings, which
are thought to have been executed using mixtures of naturally-occurring pigments and saliva or animal fat) after
encaustic, a paint made by mixing pigments with hot wax. Both techniques were used extensively by the ancient
Greeks and Egyptians; however, egg tempera is most strongly associated with Medieval and Renaissance art from
southern Europe, especially Italy (artists in northern Europe tended to favor distempers and were among the first
to develop oil paints). Egg tempera is also common in Christian religious painting: the tradition of using tempera in
painted icons began in the Byzantine Empire, which lasted from the year 395 until 1453, and is continued in
Orthodox Christian church paintings.
Egg tempera experienced something of a revival in the latter part of the 19th Century, which continues through to
today. Some artists active in the 20th Century who have employed egg tempera include Thomas Hart Benton,
Reginald Marsh, Ben Shahn, Paul Cadmus, and Andrew Wyeth.
The Ground:
Egg tempera must be applied to an absorbent ground. Traditionally, this would be a gesso made by mixing marble
dust or powdered chalk (which have the same chemical composition) with a binder, typically rabbit skin glue. The
resulting gesso is quite brittle and inflexible, so it is typically applied only to rigid supports, such as wood panel;
untempered Masonite is sometimes used today. Because the paint itself is also largely inflexible, once dry, and
susceptible to cracking, egg tempera is rarely used on fabric supports, such as canvas (medieval and Renaissance
banners were usually painted with distempers, which are pigments mixed with animal glue, and works on paper
were executed in a paint made with egg whites, called glare).
Rabbit skin glue is purchased in granulated form; the granules must mixed with water and is then heated in a
double boiler so that the glue remains warm without boiling. The glue must be kept warm to be usable, as it
congeals when cool (unused glue can be refrigerated and then reheated, but it becomes less sticky with each
reheating). After applying one layer of glue to the panel, in order to seal it, marble dust is mixed with the glue to
form a gesso “the consistency of heavy cream.” After a number of gesso layers have been applied (often more than
ten, with each layer drying before the next is applied), the panel is sanded. The final finishing step is to scrape the
surface with a straight razor to remove any small bumps or scratches.
In gilded religious paintings, the outline of the figure's head would be cut into the surface of the panel with a knife.
Areas to be gilded would be covered with either a bole (a type of red clay mixed with water and glue) or a mordant
(a tacky, oil-based adhesive). Sheets of gold leaf would be laid over the bole (which is first re-wetted) or mordant
and, once the adhesive had fully dried, burnished. In Medieval times, the leaf would be burnished with a dog's
tooth; now, however, polished agate stones (or, you know, spoons) are favored. Sometimes, designs would be
stamped into the gilded areas to create pattern and texture. In a process called scraffito, some gilded areas would
be painted over, and then designs would be scratched into the paint film in order to reveal the gold beneath. This
technique was used particularly to create patterns in fabric.
Pigments have historically been derived from naturally occurring minerals, such as iron oxides; stones, such as
lapis lazuli (ultramarine) and malachite; metals, such as lead (which was the main source of white pigment until
the 20th Century); plant dyes, known collectively as “lakes,” which are typically “fugitive” or prone to fading; and
animal sources—purple dyes were once made from the mucus of a particular species of sea snail, and traditional
Indian yellow pigment was scraped from the bladders of cows that had been force-fed toxic mango leaves. Since
the 18th Century, chemists have produced artificial pigments both in order to create new colors and to replace some
natural pigments, which can be expensive, highly toxic, or prone to fading. Both natural and artificial pigments can
be purchased at most art supply stores.
The pigment is first mixed with water to form a paste using either a palette knife or a large rounded piece of glass
called a muller. Because the powder is so light (and because many pigments are toxic), a dust mask should be
worn during this step to ensure that none is inhaled. A small amount of this paste is then combined with the egg
mixture to form the paint. Be aware that not all pigments are soluble in water; these can be mixed with a small
amount of linseed or stand oil before being added to the egg mixture).
Egg tempera is traditionally applied using a small, long-bristled brush known as a script brush. Pure egg tempera
dries very quickly, and, as such, two colors cannot be blended on the surface of the painting as they can be when
working with oil or acrylic paints. Transitions in tone and color in are made by cross-hatching fine lines of different
hues and shades.
Materials:
1. Hardwood panel
2. Granulated rabbit skin glue
3. Marble dust or powdered chalk (optional: titanium white or other pigment)
4. Sandpaper (optional: black pigment powder and a razor blade)
5. At least one egg (optional: egg separator)
6. Pin or X-acto knife
7. Assorted powdered pigments
8. Pane of thick glass or marble cutting board
9. Palette knife or glass muller
10. Plastic eyedropper
11. Plastic mixing tray with individual wells
12. Size one or smaller script brush
13. Varnish, if desired