Polyptych. Madonna and Child, Saint James the Great and Saint Henry (detail) 1484

This panel, a detail from Ambrogio Bergognone’s Polyptych of the Madonna and Child, Saint James the Great and Saint Henry, likely from the late 15th century, is tempera on wood, with gilding. Take a close look at the gold leaf. This was applied using time-honored techniques, with thin sheets adhered to a prepared surface, burnished to a reflective sheen. Gilding wasn’t just about ornamentation; it was about value, and a skilled application would signal the patron's wealth, and the value they placed on the work. The tempera technique is equally important here. This required grinding pigments and mixing them with egg yolk – a difficult process, demanding precision and a keen understanding of material behavior. Notice how these choices affect the way the image looks, and consider what this tells us about the artistic priorities of the time. It reminds us that so-called fine art has always been deeply entangled with craft processes and traditions.