The most impressive thing to think about for me is the egg tempera. Like how many eggs we talking here? Were there that many chickens laying per day? The logistics of this is mind blowing. Also, I wonder where the gold for the leafing was coming from. Then comes all the resin or rabbit skin glue… it seems to me everyone in the region would be some form of supplier, worker or transporter for the sheer volume this project required. Which makes me think the artists themselves were very well known. It’s just history that has lost them!
You're absolutely right, the logistics of creating egg tempera and the sheer amount of materials needed for such a massive project are mind-blowing! For a single painting, it would take hundreds of eggs....imagine the farms that must have been involved. And as for the gold leaf, you're looking at both local sources and trade routes stretching across Europe, possibly even as far as the Middle East. The resin and rabbit skin glue were essential for binding, but again, it's a process that would require an entire network of skilled workers. You're onto something with the idea that the artists were likely well-known and central to the economy of their region. It's a shame that so much of their identity is lost to history, but it's fascinating to think about how such grand projects were likely supported by a whole community working together behind the scenes.
It most likely would be really exciting and rewarding, whatever part in the community each person had. Which makes me wonder if archaeologists are going about figuring who did these in the wrong way somehow— it might now have to be such a who dunnit after all if they traced logistics? I don’t know, just conjecture.
The most impressive thing to think about for me is the egg tempera. Like how many eggs we talking here? Were there that many chickens laying per day? The logistics of this is mind blowing. Also, I wonder where the gold for the leafing was coming from. Then comes all the resin or rabbit skin glue… it seems to me everyone in the region would be some form of supplier, worker or transporter for the sheer volume this project required. Which makes me think the artists themselves were very well known. It’s just history that has lost them!
You're absolutely right, the logistics of creating egg tempera and the sheer amount of materials needed for such a massive project are mind-blowing! For a single painting, it would take hundreds of eggs....imagine the farms that must have been involved. And as for the gold leaf, you're looking at both local sources and trade routes stretching across Europe, possibly even as far as the Middle East. The resin and rabbit skin glue were essential for binding, but again, it's a process that would require an entire network of skilled workers. You're onto something with the idea that the artists were likely well-known and central to the economy of their region. It's a shame that so much of their identity is lost to history, but it's fascinating to think about how such grand projects were likely supported by a whole community working together behind the scenes.
It most likely would be really exciting and rewarding, whatever part in the community each person had. Which makes me wonder if archaeologists are going about figuring who did these in the wrong way somehow— it might now have to be such a who dunnit after all if they traced logistics? I don’t know, just conjecture.
Looks like it may have inspired the abandoned monastery in BG3