Green pigments and mixtures
Artists' Materials
Green hues were obtained in a variety of ways: copper sulphates, copper carbonates as well as mixtures of azurite with lead-tin yellow and an organic yellow were identified. The individual artists seemed to favour one or more of these greens, which helps define their ‘signature’ palette.
Areas painted with copper sulphates were often found to contain high amounts of silicon. This may be due to the presence of quartz and other silicates, which would be naturally mixed with mineral copper sulphates.
St Luke painting the Virgin and Tree of Jesse (Mass of the Virgin)
According to medieval tradition, the Virgin sat for a life portrait to St Luke, a gifted artist. Here, St Luke appears to have started colouring the Virgin’s image on the panel. The Tree of Jesse was a subject with a long tradition in medieval art and biblical studies. Based on Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 11:1-3), it was considered an Old Testament prefiguration of the Incarnation and the virginal birth of Christ. The image also visualised the account of Christ’s genealogy found at the beginning of St Matthew’s Gospel – the very text that forms the central part of the Mass of the Virgin.
Two artists collaborated on this page. The small miniature of St Luke painting the Virgin, with the initial E accommodated within the arched frame, was probably painted by the Master of James IV of Scotland or a close associate who had access to his image models. The Tree of Jesse was completed by the Master of St Michael.