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• 1 2021-11-03T13:51:24-07:00 How was this made? 17 plain 2022-06-14T12:54:05-07:00 By Grace Acquilano '22
  

  This object was made using egg tempera and chyrsography (gold leaf) on a (64.5 x 44.2 x 3.5 cm) wood panel. Essentially, this painting is slightly over 2 ft. tall. The paint would have been applied to the panel first, and gold leafing would have been added afterward. Egg tempera painting originated in ancient Egypt. This medium was widely used in the Middle Ages and became the primary medium of Byzantine and Early Christian icon painters. Thus, not only was egg tempera used for icons but it was also used for illustrations and decoration in illuminated manuscripts.
   
  After egg tempera paint, gold leaf (Chrysography) was used to add radiance to the painting. The gold indicates the radiant holiness of Christ. The purpose of adding chrysography to Italian paintings of Holy figures was to illuminate the figures as though they were authentic Byzantine icons. Overall, chrysography expresses the idea of radiance and otherworldly reflection. By including gold leafing in Mary’s robes, the artist elevates Mary's spiritual power. 
  
  The process to create Italian panel paintings was intricate and required many steps. Oftentimes, artists would have assistants in their shops to help prepare the panel before it was painted. An Italian panel painting is a painting done on a block of wood with layers of glue and clay to provide adhesive surfaces before adding pigment and gold leafing. First, a piece of plank wood made of Native poplar was layered with various coats of “size,” which was a glue made from animal skins. Native poplar was widely available in Italy. Though this wood was soft, it was vulnerable to warping. Next, a piece of linen soaked in size was laid over the panel to hide surface flaws. Lastly, coats of gesso, a mixture of powdered calcium sulfate and animal glue, were applied to the plank. Gesso provided the ideal surface for preliminary drawings. After this initial preparation, the plank was ready for pigment and gilding. 
  
  Finally, during this period, a painting with strict linear brushstrokes indicates that the medium is egg tempera. This is easily apparent within “The Virgin and Child” due to the rigid lines that dominate the painting. Italian panel paintings prior to 1400 are most likely pure egg tempera. However, many early Italian egg tempera paintings are incorrectly labeled as oil. By the 1500s, almost all paintings were executed in oil with the exception of icons (Schadler 4). 
  
  On a separate note, this painting was produced during a time when Italian painters were shifting away from egg tempera paint and beginning to use oil paint. Thus, the artists’ intention to use egg tempera in a time when this medium was becoming obsolete suggests both an awareness of the changing techniques in Western painting but also a deliberate choice to paint in a medium that would have been used for authentic Byzantine icons in the early Middle Ages.