Oil Painting On Copper Plate

The use of copper as a substrate for an oil painting dates back to medieval times.

Oil painting on copper plate.

Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder commonly used drying oils include linseed oil poppy seed oil walnut oil and safflower oil the choice of oil imparts a range of properties to the oil paint such as the amount of yellowing or drying time certain differences depending on the oil are also visible in the sheen of the paints. The flemish masters and other artists including jan breughel the elder claude el greco guido reni guercino rembrandt carlo saraceni ambrosius bosschaert ii copley fielding and vernet painted on copper. Copper also served as an engraving plate for etchings and prints by master artists. Copper based pigments have long been an important source of colour for artists but copper plates have also functioned as a support for paintings instead of the more familiar canvas or wood supports for a long time.

Paint on the prepared copper plate. Elemental copper can serve as a primary support for oil paintings. Copper based pigments were an important ingredient in ancient paints and the metal itself was frequently employed as a canvas on which renaissance artists painted. Hammered or rolled metal provides a non absorbent surface that can increase color saturation.

Painting on or with copper has a long history. Oil on copper paintings were prevalent in the mid sixteenth century in italy and northern europe. The usefulness of copper in metalwork is known to all but few people realize how much it has contributed to art and painting throughout history.