Gum Sandarac
Authentic natural resin of Gum Sandarac originating from Morocco. A natural, water-insoluble resin used in iconography and painting for making varnish. Sandarac gum, mixed with linseed oil, was the most widely used varnish during the 16th and 17th centuries.
- Natural resin in small granules
- Soluble in alcohol, ether, starchy alcohol, and acetone
- Water-insoluble
- Obtained from the tree Callitris quadrivalis
- Melts at 140°C
- Packaging: 50 g, 1000 g
There are many recipes for making varnish throughout the centuries. The most famous varnish with sandarac gum is Vernice Liquida, which was considered for a long time to be the best varnish for paintings and was mentioned by Leonardo da Vinci (da Vinci and Chastel 2003) and most likely was also used in Byzantine icons (Vieillescazes et al. 2005). The usual recipe for Vernice Liquida is 2 or 3 parts linseed oil to 1 part sandarac gum.
Source:
Clara Azemard, Matthieu Menager, Cathy Vieillescazes. On the tracks of sandarac, review and chemical analysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Springer Verlag, 2017, 24 (36, SI), pp.27746-27754. 10.1007/s11356-017-0522-0 . hal-01681603
