The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors (The Donne Triptych) about 1478
Hans Memling (1430–1440–1494)
The National Gallery, London
Oil paint is a medium in which the coloured pigments are suspended in oil. Oil paint dries slowly so it can be mixed on the canvas or applied in varying layers to create different degrees of texture and depth. This means that it is more flexible than egg tempera, for example. It was first used in Northern Europe for panel paintings during the thirteenth century – Jan van Eyck later revolutionised its use on panel – and by the sixteenth century it had spread throughout Europe to become the dominant medium.
