SECTION 02
Materials
Pigment and gold were named in the agreement because they were the most expensive things in the room. Where a colour appears, and how much of it, is a record of what the commission could afford — and of what has since fallen off the surface.
- Blue by the OunceUltramarine came from lapis and cost more than gold in some contracts, so it was specified by weight and grade in the agreement itself. Why the Virgin's robe is the most expensive object in the painting.
- Gold by WeightLeaf specified in the contract, applied over bole, and burnished. An accounting line as much as a decorative choice.
- Grades, and the Cheaper BlueAzurite where ultramarine was unaffordable. How to see the substitution and what it says about the budget.
- Size and CarpentryA panel is a joinery product before it is a painting. Who built it, and why the frame often came first.
- Egg, Then OilWhat changed when the binder changed: drying time, depth, and what became possible.
Other sections
The register runs across five of them.