Egg Tempera

Egg tempera is a medieval painting method that requires the addition of egg yolk to pigment in a water dispersion.  This ‘tempering’ acts as a binder for the adhering of color to the panel. A wood panel sized, or sealed, with rabbit skin glue and layered with multi-coats of a powdered gesso ground, and sanded between and after coats, is the traditional archival substrate for this technique.  The panel preparation is a tedious task and can take a longer amount of time that the actual painting itself, which is why egg tempera is not as popular as other painting media. Cennino Cennini first recorded his methods, recipes, and techniques for egg tempera painting in 1437 and his ‘bible’ is still used today in an English translation by Daniel V. Thompson, Jr. Egg tempera used to be called la pittura al putrido meaning ‘the putrid paint’ due to the unpleasant odors in the medieval art studios which lacked refrigeration. Traditionally this medium requires small brushstrokes and is akin to drawing.  Gilding is commonly seen in egg tempera paintings and on the frames, especially the religious paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries, some of which are at the Art Institute in Chicago . Egg tempera is the precursor to oil painting.