Painting the flesh
Artists' Techniques
The Mazarine Master applied flesh tones over a light pink base layer, containing lead white and variable quantities of vermilion. He used a range of earth pigments to delineate shadows, and short parallel strokes of vermilion red to define noses, cheeks and mouths, and often eyebrows and foreheads. Facial features were further outlined in brown or black.
Master lecturing while men observe a rainbow (Book 19: On colours, smells, tastes)
Seated at a lectern with an open book, the master instructs three men. While one faces forward, concentrating on the lesson, two turn away to observe a rainbow, a phenomenon discussed in the text. Apart from a slim band of red and a larger band of yellow, the individual colours of the rainbow are not distinguished. Figures in the border include hybrid creatures and a dragon.