Zecchi’s Antichi Maestri Medium
Zecchi is now selling the medium I recommend pre-mixed to save painters the trouble of making their own. The recipe is the usual: 1 part Canada balsam cut with 1 part turpentine, and then that mixture is added to 2 parts Zecchi sun-thickened linseed oil.art. The item number is 3882 ” Medium Antichi Maestri” and the price is €12 for a 125ml bottle and €22,50 euro for the 250ml bottle. (They ship abroad too, check out their website for more details).
I tried to get them to name it after Theodore de Mayerne or to call it the “Cecilian medium” as Charles Cecil developed a similar version (adding mastic varnish) based on his reading of de Mayerne’s manuscript on 17th century painting techniques
‘Old Master Medium’ is so trite.
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Well done Marc!
wow i need some of that stuff
You do Ben, you do.
What does this Medium do to the paint, can you tell some about it
Its a great lay-in medium when cut with turpentine. It fuses the paint the right amount during the middle stages. Its great for glazing at the end (diffusing the pigment). It doesn’t yellow too badly and it dries pretty fast without going either too matte or too glossy.
The balsam should also resist cleaning attempts by restorers in the future.
Hi Marc
I just wonder, if you know, how does lead White paint compare to zinc White.
I use Titanium for plein Air so am well acquainted with that. I have some Zinc which is more translucent in comparison
Also is there another name for Canada Balsam, and what is it made from. I’ve never heard of it here in the UK.
Best regards
Andrew
I think zinc is considered bluer than lead white, though I’ve never tried zinc. Both lead and zinc cover less than titanium. I used titanium outside and lead for studio work. There are also theories about lead changing the chemical composition of the whole painting to make it magically last forever.
Canada Balsam comes from some fir tree in Canada. It is used in some industry so the quality available to painters is very high. Strasbourg (or Venice) turpentine was the local European variant before there was a Canada, but the supplies are often of very poor quality. Cornellison on Great Russell Street in London used to sell Canada Balsam.
Thanks! Think I’ll get some lead to try as well, I want to get into some portrait work, so may as well have best material fit for purpose.
Actually I have some Venetian Turpentine, a thick treacly like pungent (Mmm!) substance which always seems to remain tacky. I use it in beeswax, preparing stained glass palettes, another story. I’ll consider experimenting with it in a oil painting medium. I’ll get Cornellisons catalog as well.
I would avoid the Venice turps Andrew. People who have used it have had their paintings crack. The old texts describe it as a straw color, but the stuff you find today is really brown.