THE PASSION ALTARPIECE

POLYCHROME DECORATION 

Rich polychrome decoration with a predominance of golds and blues. Light colours are used to paint flesh tones and in the whites and pastel colours of headdresses and fabrics.

Burnished gold is used for picking out details of clothing and matte gold for painting hair. There is an abundance of brownish-grey glaze  applied to white metal leaf (probably silver) and red and green glaze in smaller areas, usually in herbaceous terrain.

Carefully executed flesh tones, that is darker in men and lighter in women. The figures of St. John and Christ both have finely drawn eyebrows and eyelids. 

Decorative techniques:

• Decorative architectural  engraved before assembly.

• Patterns picked out using a very fine brush on gold, with azurite and red glaze (flowers, rhomboids, waves, etc.)

• Gilt patterns applied to brownish-grey glaze (flowers, rhomboids, fish scales, etc.)

• Pearl motif painted on red (the turban worn by Mary Magdalene)

• Gold dot decoration applied to blue and silver areas of undercoat. 

• Inscriptions (golden letters applied to azurite and silver undercoats, blue letters on gilt and white backgrounds).