egg (material)
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Related term/s
Anotations
Scope note:
Material derived from eggs, which in the context of art materials are usually the ellipsoidal shell and embryonic contents produced by birds. For paintings, the egg contents are used as a tempera medium. The whole egg, yolk, or white may be used sometimes mixed with oil and/or resin. The egg yolk is a stable emulsion of an aqueous liquid with an oily, proteinaceous medium which dries quickly into a hard, insoluble film. Egg white has been used as a medium for illuminated manuscripts. It is also used as a size for attaching gold leaf. Albumen is the adhesive substance of egg white. As a pure film, albumen is clear, brittle, and water soluble. Water solubility can be decreased by heating or adding tannin. For the exterior of a bird egg comprising the brittle shell composed of keratin and calcite, use "eggshell (animal material)."