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Historical Oil Painting Varnishes and Mediums

Western Maryland Gallery offers unique historically-accurate painting varnishes and mediums intended for use with both handground oil paint and today's commercial 'tube' colors. Some of these varnishes have been used as far back as the 1400's. All of these varnishes/mediums allow certain desirable effects not attainable through the use of straight oil-and-pigment paint alone. They produce proper effects when used with either an 'all fixed-oil' (no solvents) painting technique, as well as those methods involving turpentine, or other spirit-use. Oil paintings made with these same historical additives have shown excellence in craftsmanship and durability down through the ages. Most are oil varnishes- rather than spirit varnishes. These varnishes and mediums appear to have truly stood the test of time ; and based on the historical evidence, these varnishes and mediums will not darken or weaken oil paint with age.

As one who makes use of handground oil paint, I know the importance of the proper type oils and small additives to my material. Handground paint is different than commercially available tube paint. Tube paint is conditioned by the manufacturer to behave in certain ways. It is very different to basic paint made by simply rubbing up some pigment in some oil. Simple oil-and-pigment paint, by itself, allows some leeway as regards brushwork and paint character. But it can be nicely improved by the slight addition of various other substances. Such additions can allow higher gloss, fast or slow drying, better and more painterly impasto, paint that seems fluid but doesn't run with gravity, paint that provides easy manipulation and encourages a painter to achieve better performance. Importantly, some additions, like oil varnishes in particular, can strengthen oil paint, keeping the oil-constituent from oxidizing, making it last much better and remain fresher in appearance far longer, even centuries.

These varnishes /mediums are made in small batches. As aging is often important to strength and painting performance, the copal and amber varnishes are allowed to 'sleep' several months before sale. These varnishes/mediums are very strong in effects and, when utilized as additions to oil-colors, a bottle of any will last through approximately 20 or more 24"x30" paintings. Our varnishes and mediums are contained in either 100 mil. tube-form, or attractive 60 mil. (2 ounce round), or 80 mil. (2-2/3 ounces square) glass bottles that fit perfectly into artist's sketch boxes.

Note: true hard copal and amber varnishes are rare in the world today. The ratio of resin-to-oil quantities (and the type of oil) as well as the length and degree of actual cooking of the varnishes, allow for noticeable differences in their ultimate characteristics when used with oil paint. Our varnishes are unique to our manufacture and perform like none other. Many recipes for amber and copal varnishes found in manuscripts and other textual sources are actually unfit for applications to oil painting. Varnishes that are too dark, too high in oil-content, or varnishes that dry too quickly are rather best suited for wood applications instead. With these considerations in mind, we have, through much trial-and-error, selected only those varnishes that are suitable to oil painting. [Notice : considered harmless to health in actual painting practices, care must be taken that none of the painting varnishes and mediums become ingested.]

James C. Groves

Click on each item's name for the complete historical and supporting research--includes method of use.

Historical Oil Painting Varnishes

16th Century Amber Varnish-- $44.00 80 mil. Bottle. Our most popular amber varnish, this version is composed of perfectly dissolved Baltic amber in combination with aged walnut oil. A very heavy Amber-to-oil varnish (50% resin to 50% walnut oil), the highest available in the realm. Held to the light, this Amber Varnish is very pale (yellow) in color. Perfectly clear; not cloudy. Can be easily utilized for making other mediums, wherein it combines readily with oils to form clear unions ; and with no heating required. This product was not formulated with a drying substance (lead, or cobalt, or manganese driers). By slight addition to paint, it neither retards nor speeds drying. A drop of this amber varnish firmly congeals handmade oil paint and keeps it perfectly tempered all day without slumping. This varnish is used by many painters as a final thin coating upon their finished works. A short "bath" in moderate sunlight or a fluorescent light-box will allow drying overnight. Once dried, this varnish can be polished. [For more info, click on the blue product name.]

Venetian Amber Varnish-- $44.00 80 mil. Bottle. Similar to our 16th C. Amber Varnish but darker and cooked with a drying agent. Dries indoors perfectly tack-free in one day. Also generally-known historically as "German amber varnish" and "Lutemaker's varnish". Many artists used this varnish to paint with and also to create marvelous mediums which enhanced the paints brushability, durability, brightness, speeded drying, and helped guard against sinking. Allows works that have stood the test of time. Again, a very heavy Amber-to-oil varnish. A drop of this VAV softly congeals handmade oil paint. Keeps the paint perfectly tempered all day without slumping. Can be easily utilized for making other mediums, such as "Gentileschi's Amber Medium" (available on our online ordering form) wherein it combines readily with oils to form clear unions and speeds the drying of the paint it's mixed with. VAV is perfect as a violin varnish; it can be polished.[For more info, click on the blue product name.]

Amber Oil of Venice -- $32.00 80 mil. Bottle. What is referred to in the DeMayerne Manuscript as "Huile d'Ambre de Venise". A very thick walnut-based amber varnish containing approximately 23% amber. Fast drying with excellent elasticity, this litharge-cooked and darker amber varnish is more of a medium than a varnish; it was found through a careful analysis and extensive trial-and-error formulations. Mayerne tells us this "amber oil" was well-known by the early 1600's, being commonly available "throughout Italy by all vendors of colours". Primarily utilized by oil painters of the 1600's as an all-around painting additive, a drop or more added to the rubbed-up paint on the palette engenders the recorded attributes noted by DeMayerne : it speeds drying, produces soft & easy brushing /blending and a bright and glassy optical brilliance throughout the work. Works nicely as a painting medium when thinned with unrefined walnut oil. This product should NOT be used for varnishing instruments; it cannot be polished.[For more info, click on the blue product name.]

19th Century Copal Varnish -- $24.50 per 80mil.bottle. Our most popular copal varnish. This is a classic "oil copal" formulation utilizing the lightest, clearest, hardest copal available. No driers added. Does not affect the normal drying of the paint. Very high (50%) in copal resin-content ; even with substantial oil-dilutions, the congealing effects of the copal still shine through. A small addition causes oil paint to become crisp in consistency, allowing effects not otherwise possible. Use to make mediums allowing the same luscious painting effects as seen in many 19th C. works. Click on the blue heading for more info concerning this product as well as the following quicker-drying version of this copal varnish. [For more info, click on the blue product name.]

19th Century Drying Copal Varnish $25.50 per 80 mil. bottle. The fast-drying version of our 19th C. Copal Varnish, DCV was favored by many greats of the 19th Century, including the Pre-Raphaelites. This type of copal varnish all but disappeared from artistic use by the early 20th Century. Cooked with a proper quantity of litharge to give a fast-drying, tough, and glossy nature, DCV is slightly darker than our regular copal varnish ; it's still amazingly bright in color. DCV increases the drying ability of oil paint, either commercial tube paint or studio-made and provides excellent working qualities, clever brushwork, easy painting whether alla prima or layered. A small tempering (addition) to oil paint causes all colors and whites/blacks to become crisp in consistency, allowing effects not otherwise possible. [For more info, click on the blue product name.]

Aside from its use as an additive to temper handground paint, our regular and drying copal varnishes makes excellent painting mediums for either tube paint or handground (for those who desire a ready-made medium, we offer a drying copal medium-- listed under "Other Mediums" below). DCV also makes a perfect and fast-drying varnish for wood surfaces such as guns or violins and other musical instruments.[For more info, click on the blue product name.]

"Jelly" Mediums for Oil Painting

Megilp Not an oil varnish but a once-popular spirit varnish & leaded oil painting medium that seems to have been used from about the mid-1600's on up to modern times. [Click on the word for more info].

Megilp has become increasingly popular again in use amongst artists. We do not sell it (though we do offer an unrefined walnut 'black oil' if you wish to prepare your own --see below under "Other mediums and ingredients"). Instead, we offer the following varnishes which produce gel mediums when mixed with painting oils. These media are entirely unique to our manufacture:

Amber Gelling Oil 80 mil. bottle is $25.50. An amazingly useful and toughening glossy/glassy addition for oil painting. This oil varnish mixes with any regular painting oil (walnut, linseed, poppy, sunflower, etc.) to form a facile painting jelly with excellent mark-retention, smooth brushing qualities, and induced paint-film strength. Speeds drying and creates the glass-like effect of the early Dutch masters. Based on an actual 1500's recipe. [Click on the name for more info about this product.]

Gelling Copal Varnish $30.50 per 80 mil. bottle. Now concentrated to make twice the amount of gelled painting medium. A unique copal oil varnish which may date back to the 1500's. I believe this varnish was known by some of the oil painting masters of Italy before the introduction of the walnut-based mastic megilps (such as "Bombelli") in the latter 1600's. Excellent for use with today's modern tube paints. Contains no mastic, wax, or other mechanical gelling agents. Excells with both alla prima or multiple layering techniques. [Click on the name for more background concerning this product].

Sandarac Gel Varnish $28.50 per 60 mil.jar. This varnish, based upon sandarac and walnut oil, was likely used as far back as the 1400's. It is a golden-colored concentrate that becomes a colorless jelly painting medium when mixed with any painting oil (unrefined walnut oil is recommended). The resulting jelly medium is mixed with the colors on the palette promoting facile and realistic effects not attainable through non-gel mediums. This sandarac-based varnish offers similar attributes to our Copal Gelling Varnish, but is more concentrated, allowing more 'jelly' to be made from the jar. It's also slower-drying, taking about twice the time of the copal, allowing more open-time to achieve various painting effects. Contains no mastic, wax, or other mechanical gelling agents. Excellence with both alla prima or layering techniques. [Click on the word for more info].

Other Mediums and Medium Ingredients

Drying Walnut Heat-Bodied Oil and our Heat Polymerized Walnut Oil both in 80 mil. bottles. Heating (boiling, fuming) painting oils to toughen them has been a practice for centuries. Stand oil is a modern-day heat-bodied-oil made from linseed oil. The use of HB-Oils effect a leveling or melting condition to all oil paint-- especially that fresh sort rubbed-up by the artist before use. Commercial tube paint containing Aluminum Stearate is not as much affected by stand oil and many artists swear by its use as it gives their paint a smoother appearance and other effects. [ I would instead recommend walnut oil for this purpose and so I make and sell an 80 mil. bottle of a lightly-colored and very thickened yet easily-drying polymerized walnut oil that seems to never yellow. Price is $16-- ordering online see bottom page. Also note: "sunning" oils to pre-polymerize and thicken them will not produce the detection earmarks of a true heat-bodied oil.]

Here is the quandary: according to the many paint analysis studies done by modern researchers, a heat-bodied oil can be detected often in the old master's works. Curiously, many of these works exhibit up-standing paint texture that, instead, reflect the typical effects of resin-oil-varnish-use within the paint. Oddly, this up-standing quality is not in accordance with the melting effect truly garnered with the use of common HB-Oils-- like standoil. However, through an odd and complex cooking procedure, linseed oil and walnut oil can be transformed into a fluid oil that does indeed produce upstanding texture to fresh oil paint. I make this product and offer it for sale at $30 per 80 mil. bottle. Though I cannot find any historical formulas for it's manufacture, I believe it still possible some Renaissance painters were aware of this odd oil.

There is another catch: according to latest research, high temperature resin oil varnishes --like Amber Varnish, which is amber resin dissolved at extremely high temperatures into oils-- produce signatures of only heat-bodied oil. Apparently, the cooked resins lose their basic "fingerprints" due to high-temperature heat destruction. Again, this is according to the latest research analysis. Thus, recent proclamations maintaining the old masters used only simple pigment and oil plus additions of heat-bodied oil are not truly supported after all. As no actual historical recipes have come to light respecting my own formulation of this thixotropic heat-bodied oil, my better bet-- based on my own experience, research, and the written word-- is the old masters utilized slight additions of highly-heated resin-in-oil varnishes instead. Still, to maintain confusion, my Walnut Drying HB-Oil was utilized in creating the following :

Rembrandt: An Attempt to Copy his Self Portrait using Resin varnishes and heat-bodied oil. Click here

Groves DCV Copal Painting Medium 80 mil. bottle is $16.50. Exquisite oil copal painting medium made with copal varnish, perfectly-aged walnut oil, and polymerized walnut oil. Formulated to match the effects of the Hudson River School masters of the 19th Century. This balanced and complete medium is used to thin modern day commercial tube paint to a desired fluidity ; also as an oiling-out agent. Lightly-colored and makes regular oil paint dry overnight, ready for overpainting the next day. Use as a final coating to sunken areas. Can be thinned with turps if desired. Makes tube paints behave, brush-out easily, and appear much more like handground.

19th Century Siccatif de Courtrai 80 mil. bottle is $20.00 Made specifically for oil painting-use, this is the genuine article ; this is not the modern-day lead napthenate nor cobalt/manganese carboxylate driers available elsewhere. Unlike lead napthenate, our Siccatif de Courtrai will not dull oil paint ; and, instead, it leaves a proper fresh look to the paint. Normal use will not discolor whites/colors ; one partial drop can dry oil paint in as little as 8-12 hours. Favored by many 19th C. masters, including William Bouguereau. Click on the blue heading for more info.

Walnut 'Black Oil' $20.00 for two 80 mil. bottles. Made from unrefined walnut oil, this oil, cooked with lead, is anything but. It is a transparent golden-colored oil that will dry fast, increase lubricity; and, when combined with an equal amount of mastic spirit varnish, produces a fast firm megilp jelly that has none of the faults of the linseed-based version. See our online order form

Unrefined Walnut Oil 280 Mil. Glass Jar is $14.50 This pure oil contains no additives. This lightly-colored oil provides excellent wettability and much faster drying than the commonly-available purified and refined walnut oil. Excellent for hand rubbing of pigments into paint. See our online order form

Information for Modern Day Commercial "Tube Paint" Enthusiastes

I have often been asked if the specialized varnishes we provide can be used with tube paints. Certainly, they can. In fact, as we have noticed over the years, most buyers of our varnishes and mediums are tube paint-users who have need for strengthening their " tube colors" so that a thinning with solvent (such as turps) can be effectively performed.

Painting by way of essential oils or spirits is a tried-and-true and very old manner of oil painting. Raw oil is used to rub up the basic paint, then a bit of varnish --usually no more than a droplet-- is added to stiffen or congeal the paint. This firm paint is then thinned for application using the chosen spirit, such as turpentine, paint thinner, or oil of spike. The paint is applied in thin translucent layers until the desired effect of realism is attained. The results are quite effective as, once given a slight dose of varnish, modern day tube paint will withstand much greater use of spirits, resulting in an almost egg-tempera-like manner of painting and building-up of layers ; promoting a quality of realism not nearly attainable without the varnish-addition. No other oil is incorporated with this manner.

The principle underlying the effective use of this technique derives from the exceptional binding-strength allowable through use of the varnish-addition. This is to say, basic oil and pigment paint (either "tube" or home-made), by itself, cannot be thinned much with a solvent without becoming poorly bound (underbound) or running, trickling, down the support. However, as early painters eventually found, by simply adding a drop or two of varnish, the binding-strength of the paint is much increased, resulting in a much firmer resistance against solvent-delivered overpainting, even when the underlying paint is wet ; additionally, the applied paint gains in translucency, delivering a final highly-keyed brightness not available to an all-fixed oil technique. BTW, of great benefit, the step known as "oiling out" ( which is so important to the all-fixed oil technique) is not required when using the spirit-use manner of oil painting. This combined spirit-with-oil technique was that of Rubens and other Northern painters (as well as many Italian painters at least dating back to some of Leonardo's works).

As for those tube paint-users today who prefer an all-fixed oil technique (no solvents such as turps, paint thinner, etc.), our unique Amber Gelling Oil works well with tube paints. So does the "Gentileschi's Amber Medium" made from the Venetian Amber Varnish and unrefined walnut oil. Ditto our Walnut Polymerized Oil, replacing standoil to good advantage.

However, the remarkable stiffening abilities engendered by use of our amber and copal varnishes were developed with hand-made oil paint in mind --like the stuff used by the olden painters. With handmade paint, these type high-in-resin oil varnishes provide character and interesting brushwork not found with modern day tube colors ; and this character is in addition to their lasting and optical qualities supplied to basic rubbed-up oil-and-pigment paint. By comparison, most tube paint today comes off the store-shelf already in a too-short condition. Adding our amber and copal varnishes will certainly toughen it--even optically brighten it-- but the consistency by that addition with some paint-brands may likely resemble window putty. All fine an proper if the painter wishes to then use spirit vehicles to subsequently apply the paint. But, excepting means of impasto, this stiff condition of the paint is not effective using all-oil, as the amounts of oil then added to make the paint easy of brushing would become excessive and troublesome. 'Oiling out' the ground before new paint-applications will help defray the problem. But, there is another way to incorporate these particular oil varnishes with tube paint in an all-oil manner.

First, realize, regarding an all-oil technique, modern day 'tube paint' behaves differently than the freshly rubbed-up oil paint made by the artist. Many believe what they are buying is a very pure form of basic pigment-and-oil in a tube, ready and waiting for their whim to create. Not so. Tube paint has a gelling substance added in to promote a short 'buttery' consistency and maintain shelf-life (meaning little-to-no separation and resultant slumping in the tube). Usually, this substance is an addition of extremely lightweight aluminum stearate ; and even 2% of AS will mean a substantiat amount has been incorporated into the paint. This gelled effect-- very much similar to adding wax to oil paint-- makes the paint seem ultra heavy in pigment-to-oil ratio and causes a 'short' and crisp brushstroke that bears essentially no appearance to what the old masters used in their day. Of course, some paints do perform better than others in this regard. But, overall, the store bought tube paint provides little resemblance to the freshly made oil paint ( or what was created 'yarns ago' on canvas or wood panel with the same).

Aluminum Stearate seems to date back to the 1930's but other tallow-type stabilizers very similar to it first came onto the scene in the late 1800's. In the 1940's, oil painters such as Frederick Taubes discovered that adding another 20th century product called "standoil" to tube paints overcame or balanced-out the aluminum stearate, easing or eliminating its short effect, allowing a "tall" or "long" (slightly more or complete enamel-like) effect -- quite similar to true basic all around handground paint. Taubes later created a copal varnish that relied heavily on standoil, and small additions of his copal varnish (called Copal Concentrate) would allow tube paint to behave much more like the old master-type paint. His product was marketed by the Permanent Pigments company and became quite popular.

I supply this information to those who wish to obtain the older-type copal and amber varnishes displayed herein, but who desire to incorporate them with modern day tube paint in an all-oil technique. Essentially, the secret is this: to create mediums that allow tube paint to resemble the older paint, a certain part of that medium should contain standoil--or other polymerized, or sun-thickened oil--in the mix ; and this is to overcome the too-short gel-effect of aluminum stearate. For simple example, the "Copal Concentrate" of Taube's make was said to be a 25% copal-to-75% standoil combination. I have since copied it nicely by taking two parts standoil and one part of our 19th C. Copal Varnish and heating the two together. Thus, a 50% copal resin-to-oil varnish (like our 19th Century Copal Varnishes) would require a good bit of standoil to garner the "copal concentrate" effect on tube paint. [In other words, you find a small medicine bottle and put therein one part of the copal varnish and then slowly add two parts stand oil or sun-thickened oil.] Such a mixed 'copal & standoil' varnish is VERY light in color and can then be added in slight amounts to tube paints, giving them a certain long-ish clever character (Taubes called this 'conditioning' the paint) that stays put and doesn't run down the canvas or support with gravity -- as would be the case with standoil alone. Various other and useful painting mediums for tube paints can also be made using this concocted copal-with-standoil varnish by adding in amounts of a preferred raw oil, turpentine, siccative drier, and/or other agents.

To satisfy some tube paint users who wish a true fossil copal varnish-made painting medium, please note that we do offer our DCV Copal Painting Medium (see above) which will produce excellent and lasting results.

What I write here notwithstanding, I understand there are some few paint-makers today who do make simple oil and pigment paint. Since there is no aluminum stearate or other gelling agent involved, these paints are perfectly suited to our straight varnishes for use in either a "spirit-technique" or an "all-oil" technique. Of course, for those painters who make their own paint, our varnishes--either alone or added to mediums --will provide all the tough and lasting optical qualities deemed desirable and necessary -- plus provide a shortening, chrispening character that is wanting to the basic handmade oil-and-pigment paint.

For further information or to place an order, please use our online order form or call (301)689-3389 10am-5pm EST Monday through Saturday. We accept Visa and Mastercard. Our online order form will not calculate /include shipping costs ; the exact shipping cost will be added to your order.

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Western Maryland Gallery
11425 Upper George's Creek Road SW
Frostburg, MD 21532

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