Egg tempera painting

• Egg tempera painting: History
• Egg tempera painting: technique
• Some examples of egg tempera painting

Despite some depictions painted adopting egg tempera painting were found in Egyptian culture especially in sarcophagi decorations, this art technique is the most used in Europe art of Middle Age. It appeared in classical world to have taken over from encaustic painting and was suddenly the main technique from Byzantine panel painting and manuscripts to Early renaissance. For example, every hanged over painting of Michelangelo is realized using egg tempera painting method.

top

Egg tempera painting is a technique based on use of a mix of natural color pigments and egg yolk. The result is a mixture that has to be maintained in balance between greasy and liquid density by adjusting proportion of water and yolk. So, during the painting realization, the artist will have to add more water to avoid tempera dries on contact with air. However, this features of egg tempera painting, allows artists to apply on panels thin and semi-opaque layers and consequently being more precise than use of traditional method.

top

There is not better way to understand possibilities offered by the egg tempera painting than showing some pictures where this method is applied. So, following it will presents some artworks painted by Silvia Salvadori, a specialist in reproduction of medieval icons of tuscan medieval masters.

The Virgin and Child - Sano di Pietro; Madonna of the lake - Sienese School; Sybil - Pietro Perugino; Madonna of the book - Sandro Botticelli;