Pearl effect

The pearl effect in the lines of the signature (detail) indicates that it was applied with an aqueous binder.

The pearl effect in the yellow paint layer indicates that it contains an aqueous binder.

The pearlescent effect is a technical phenomenon that is occasionally demonstrated in the painting of old masters' panels. It was created when a layer of paint with an aqueous binder ( tempera painting ) was applied to a layer rubbed with a drying oil ( oil painting ) (layering technique) as part of the construction of a paint layer . The pearl effect can be proven on individual layers of paint, ornaments and signatures until the 17th century. It is one of the few technical phenomena that give an initial indication of the binding agent of a layer of paint or the signature of a painting.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Knut Nicolaus: DuMont's picture lexicon for determining paintings . DuMont, Cologne 1982, ISBN 3-7701-1243-1 .