Coronation of Mary (detail) 1515

Ambrogio Bergognone's "Coronation of Mary" is an example of late 15th, early 16th-century fresco painting at its finest, with its vibrant colors achieved through careful layering of pigments onto wet plaster. Looking closely, you can see the artist's meticulous technique. He would have used finely ground natural pigments like ochre for yellows and reds, lapis lazuli for the intense blues, and malachite for the greens, each demanding its own specific treatment. These minerals had to be quarried, processed, and traded across long distances, which tells us much about the economics of art at the time. The gold leaf applied to the halos also involved a highly skilled process. The repetitive, time-intensive labour contrasts with the opulence of the final effect. The fresco's preservation depends on the skillful preparation of the plaster, made from lime and sand. Its surface creates the foundation for the entire painting. Thinking about the materials and the ways they were applied, we see that this fresco is not just an image, but a testament to the social context and the labour involved in its creation, blurring the lines between art and craft.