What
is Maroger?
Maroger
is an oil varnish painting medium discovered by Jacques
Maroger, painter and former curator of the Louvre
in the early 20th Century, who claimed to have found
the secret formulas used by Old Masters such as Titian,
Rubens, Van Dyck, Velasquez, as well as others. Consisting
of Black Oil and Mastic Varnish, this medium comes
in the form of a soft jelly, and is used for its great
versatility in oil painting.
"The
jelly is of an amber color, because of the Black Oil
it contains. It is like a liquid glass with which
the painter invests his pigments. It possesses the
extraordinary property of congealing in the air and
of becoming ductile again at the touch of the brush.
Drawn by the brush, it moves fluently over the canvas.
As soon as the brush is removed, it becomes firm and
congeals immediately - ready, again to become every
bit as ductile at the next touch of the brush.*"
With
Maroger's medium the artist can paint wet into wet,
wet over dry, or glaze in layers with surprising facility.
The medium generally dries overnight, allowing the
artist to continue working without having to wait
days for passages to dry.
How
is Maroger made?
Black
Oil - This fast drying oil, invented by Giorgione,
is a concoction of cold-pressed linseed oil and lead
oxide (litharge) cooked together for a long period
of time so that the lead from the litharge combines
chemically with the oil, producing a transparent medium
of a dark amber color.
Mastic
Varnish - Made of mastic resin from Chios (an island
off the coast of Greece) and pure gum spirits of turpentine,
this varnish was commonly used as a picture varnish
as well as a major ingredient in mediums by the Old
Masters.
When
mixed together properly, the Black Oil and Mastic
Varnish combine to produce a soft and malleable jelly
known as Maroger's Medium.
*
"Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters,"
by J. Maroger.
**
Maroger medium contains lead. Safe to handle, toxic
if ingested.
