The Sacrifice of King Codron of Athens 1535

Domenico Beccafumi painted The Sacrifice of King Codron of Athens with fresco, a technique that involves painting on freshly laid lime plaster with pigments mixed in water. The application of color is immediate, demanding careful planning. Because the colors are absorbed into the wall as the plaster dries, the result is a matte finish with a character all its own. Beccafumi clearly knew his materials, making use of fresco’s inherent qualities to build up the image layer by layer. More generally, the making of frescos depends on a complex social structure, involving many hands; from the quarrying and slaking of lime, to the preparation of the wall itself, to the mixing and application of pigments. While Beccafumi was undoubtedly the creative lead, he was reliant on the labor of many others. Thinking about frescos in terms of materials, making, and context allows us to appreciate not only the skill of the artist, but also the wider social and economic conditions that made such ambitious works possible.