Shining an infrared light on how “metal soaps” threaten priceless oil paintings Scientists analyzed paint samples from Corot's Gypsy Woman with Mandolin (circa 1870).

Researchers think old masters like Sandro Botticelli, who painted Lamentation Over the Dead Christ, may have mixed egg into their oil paints to alter certain qualities. Fine Art Images / Heritage ...

In oil painting, double bonds in the long carbon chains of the oil react with oxygen from the air as the artworks dry. This creates new chemical connections that stabilise the final, cured layers.