A New Field
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Recipe

Egg tempera

A medieval paint of egg yolk and pigment. Dries quickly, fine detail, long-lived.

Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.

What you’ll make

Slightly translucent, buttery, long-lasting.

Flexible slots (flex around your material)

  • Pigment

    Natural pigment / dyeper colour

    Coloured plant, mineral or animal matter. Yields colour in water or alcohol.

    Examples Earth pigment, charcoal, turmeric

Fixed ingredients

  • Egg yolk · 1 yolk — Separate cleanly.
  • Water · Equal volume to yolk

Equipment

  • Small cup
  • small brush
  • palette.

Refinements and variations

  • Mix small amounts at a time; the paint does not keep.

Source notes

Medieval European icon-painting tradition.