Azurite MP, dark

Description

Medieval European painting harbours many secrets, which is why we often speak of the „secrets of the old masters.” Painting was organized in guilds, and members of the guild traded recipes of certain processes only among other members. No written account remains of many of these recipes which today pose a riddle to restorers and painters alike. One of the unsolved mystery of painting technology is why Azurite used in oil sometimes does not turn green. Azurite contains copper, which is notorious for changing its color in acidic environments, such as linseed oil. Now a customer of ours – Michael Price – has developed a process to preserve the subtle blue hue of Azurite in oil by coating the particles with protein. As a by-product of this process, the pigment particles are sorted according to purity and size – yielding many new and vibrant shades that can be used in oil painting. Scientific analysis supports the use of a protein coat in historical copper paint pigments. The IRPA in Brussels even found protein coating on most of the pigments used by the brothers Van Eyck. We offer from our own production this line of „MP” Azurite pigments. Their hue is of special purity and varies according to particle size.

Known since ancient times as Lapis Armenius, Azurite has a blue hue that is greener than Lapis Lazuli. According to a recipe by Michael Price.