Techniques of the Romanesque and Gothic wall paintings in the Holy Sepulchre Chapel, Winchester Cathedral

As part of a five-year systematic survey of the techniques of English Medieval wall paintings, the highly important late Romanesque and early Gothic paintings in the Holy Sepulchre Chapel in Winchester are being examined. The use of red lake in the Romanesque scheme is the earliest recorded use of this pigment in English wall painting; the identification of vivianite, now partially altered to a yellow form, is the first in any English Medieval wall painting. All aspects of the technique of both schemes, including their complex laying out, pentimenti, pigments, media, and gilding are discussed in the context of contemporary European painting.