Encaustic
A paint made from pigment mixed with melted beeswax and other substances, such as resin, and applied to... View more
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Ceracolors and Cera Colla
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Ceracolors and Cera Colla
There is very little evidence that the Greeks and Romans used a cold wax method of painting. The only literary reference to cold wax is Punic wax in Pliny’s Natural History. It is impossible to know if this description of Punic wax was actually used in painting. However, we developed Ceracolors in cooperation with several artists who paint in the manner of the wax mummy portraits found in Fayum, Egypt. We also do not know if this is similar to Byzantine wax paintings, such as the two icons at Saint Catherine’s monastery in Mount Sinai. Ceracolors is an emulsion of wax without the use of any other binders, such as plant gums or animal collagen glue both of which apparently were not in the recipe described by Pliny.
Please also understand that the recipe described by Pliny saponifies wax and hence makes a wax soap. The process for Ceracolors does not make a soap but rather is a true emulsion of wax. Wax soap would be sensitive to water and risk the longevity of the paint film, something we do not find in the mummy portraits.
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2 Replies
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Hi Leslie, How close are Ceracolors to the old Byzantine technique of cold wax painting? I have been experimenting with emulsifying wax and mixing it with 5% solution of rabbit skin glue. After mixing in pigments ,the resulting paint adheres to chalk gesso grounds pretty well but it takes longer to dry than egg yolk tempera. I am also not sure if I am creating the emulsion correctly. The wax soap seems a little grainy. I suppose I am not quite sure what a wax emulsion paint is supposed to be like, so I don’t know if what I have made is close to being authentic. Any direction or advice you could give would be much appreciated. Thanks, Alex
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There are different kinds of wax other than bees wax. If you mix bees wax with paraffin it’s more resistant. There is a very hard was that they apply as a protection on sculpture (natural product)
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