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Before modern tube paints existed, artists had to make their own painting materials.
One important technique was egg tempera, which uses pigment mixed with a binder containing egg yolk.
The mixture dries relatively quickly and can produce extremely fine, precise details.
It was especially important in European painting before oil painting became dominant.
Because the paint dries differently from oil, artists could build up many small, controlled strokes.
A painting that looks incredibly delicate may therefore have been created using a surprisingly ordinary kitchen ingredient.
© National Gallery of Art