The incarnation of carnation: a reconstruction of late Gothic flesh tones using the example of a Mary (1510) by the workshop of Ivo Strigel

It has been suggested that the prestigious carnations adorning late Gothic sculptures were crafted by the workshops' masters themselves. In fact, they are a complex structure of skillfully constructed and aligned layers. The Bern University of the Arts (HKB) in Switzerland utilized the example of a Mary (1510, Centrepiece of the retable of Grono, Rhaetian Museum Chur) by the established workshop of Ivo Strigel (1486–1514) to elucidate the distinctive characteristics of a late gothic carnation. For the first time, the HKB not only displays various binding media and pigments found in each individual layer, but also illustrates the stratigraphy and binder systems that can vary depending on the facial area. To gain a full understanding of the analytical results, colour reconstructions were used to assess the effect of different concentrations of protein (egg yolk) dispersed in linseed oil on the properties of drying, flowability, and surface gloss of the respective colour media.