Art historians have known for some time that Old Masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli mixed egg yolks into their oil paintings. Now scientists may have discovered the reason. An article published last Tuesday in the magazine Nature Communication suggests that these Renaissance painters may have known of egg yolk’s ability to protect their works from damage.
The scientists incorporated egg yolk into the oil paint for their experiment using two methods: first, directly mixing the yolk and the oil paint with a palette knife, creating a thick, stiff consistency ; then, by grinding the pigment with drops of diluted yellow, then mixing it with oil, a technique that Renaissance painters may have employed. For both samples, the presence of egg yolk slows the yellowing of the paint.
Ophélie Ranquiet, the study’s author and a chemical engineer at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, said CNN that their study is one of the few to examine these techniques in depth. Scientists and historians have long assumed that the traces of protein found in paints were due to contamination between oil and egg tempera. However, Ranquiet and his team now believe the addition was useful. She and her team hope that their experimental findings will encourage further study of these techniques.
In the 15th century, artists such as da Vinci and Botticelli began experimenting with oil paint over egg tempera. In “The Lamentation over the Dead Christ” (1490-1492), Botticelli painted Christ, Mary Magdalene and the Virgin, among others, in tempera, and the background stone and the grass in the foreground with l ‘oil. This new type of paint looked more vibrant on canvas, blended more smoothly, and dried more slowly, allowing artists to work longer on pieces. However, artists using oil would have discovered a few flaws, namely creasing. Da Vinci may have struggled in his early paintings to use oil, as his “Madonna with Carnation” (1478-1480) features rare and extensive creases around the Virgin’s face. As creases begin to form as wet paint dries, Leonardo da Vinci is said to have learned how to blend yellow in oil paints.
Patrick Dietemann, a researcher at the Doerner Institute in Munich who worked on the study, said Hyperallergic that he hopes this work will lead to a better understanding of the chemical composition of Renaissance artworks.
“We hope this improves our understanding of how beautiful works of art are created and how they degrade at the molecular level, providing insight into how we can better protect them for future generations,” said Dietmann.
Speaking about how these findings could affect art conservators, American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Vice President Dr. Corina Rogge said the new information will help conservators decide on treatments because oil and eggs require different processes. Questions arise about how Renaissance painters might have considered their climates when mixing tempera and oil paints or what reactions this method would have with pigments other than ultramarine blue and white. immediately.
“We probably underestimated the complexity of these paintings, and whereas in the past we could have appreciated the artistic skills of the painters, now we can also begin to appreciate their chemical and mechanical skills,” Rogge said. Hyperallergic.
