Wax paint

Description

A mixture of wax and pigment often with additions of (oil) turpentine or resin mastic. Wax paints were used in ancient times for decoration. They do not tend to discolor like oil paint, but may collect dirt. Wax paints are also soft and easily damaged. See also paint encaustic and emulsion wax emulsion.

Synonyms and Related Terms

encaustic; wax emulsion; pintura a la cera (Esp.); encustica (Esp.); peinture la cire (Fr.); encausto (It.); encustica (Port.); saponified wax

Other Properties

Soluble in turpentine.

Authority

• M. Doerner, M. Doerner, The Materials of the Artist, Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1934

• Reed Kay, Reed Kay, The Painter's Guide To Studio Methods and Materials, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1983

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996