The Breslau Psalter

Yellow pigments

Artists' Materials

Yellow pigments were not part of the shared palette, and were scarcely used throughout the manuscript. The Gaibana Master and his Associate did not use yellow at all. Hands B and C used realgar, while Hand D chose a yellow earth pigment. The remaining artists probably used an organic dye to paint small pale yellow details.

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Detail of the king on the left’s face under magnification (7.5x), showing the distinct blue base layer in the flesh tone, painted with woad, and the strong facial features painted with thick strokes of vermilion red and lead white.