Veronese's Paintings in the National Gallery, Technique and Materials: Part I

Nicholas Penny and Marika Spring
Technical Bulletin Volume 16, 1995

Abstract

Three of Veronese's paintings are discussed: Christ addressing a Kneeling Woman, The Consecration of Saint Nicholas, and The Family of Darius before Alexander, which have a similar tonality. All have a gesso ground and the first two have a warm-toned imprimatura. Veronese's methods and use of pigments is then presented and illustrated with cross-sections which show the discoloration of some pigments, such as smalt. The findings are compared with known 16th-century Venetian practice. Greens and yellows are discussed in detail. Veronese's choice of materials does not appear to relate to the date of the paintings.

Keywords 

discoloration, Paolo Veronese, paintings (objects), pigment

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To cite this article we suggest using

Penny, N., Spring, M. 'Veronese's Paintings in the National Gallery, Technique and Materials: Part I'. National Gallery Technical Bulletin Vol 16, pp 4–29.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/technical-bulletin/penny_spring1995

 

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