Scientists gain insights into Old Master artists’ use of egg in oil paintings

Researchers believe egg was used by likes of Botticelli and Da Vinci for fine-tuning of oil paint properties

It pays to go to work on an egg when painting with oils, researchers have found, as the addition of yolk can prevent wrinkling, yellowing and problems with humidity.

The use of egg as a binding medium for pigments, a form of paint known as egg tempera, has a long history, turning up in works including the mural paintings of the Palace of Nestor in Pylos, dating to 1200BC.