What does tempera mean?
Tempera is a traditional painting medium made by combining finely ground pigments with egg yolk. Unlike oil paint, which uses an oily binder, tempera generally dries quickly to a thin, matte, and durable film, allowing precise details and luminous color. It was especially important in medieval and Renaissance panel painting, and it remains widely used in illustration, manuscript work, conservation, and art education. The term can refer to the medium itself, the technique of painting with it, or an artwork made in it. In contemporary use, “egg tempera” is the clearest way to identify the traditional egg-based method. Tempera is distinct from temper, which concerns moderation or disposition, and it should not be confused with modern tempera paint sold as a ready-made medium for craft and educational use.
nounTempera is a painting medium in which pigments are mixed with egg yolk, traditionally applied to a prepared surface. The term can also refer to painting in this medium or to a work painted with it.
- A painting medium made by mixing pigments with egg yolk.
- The technique or practice of painting with this medium.
- A painting or artwork made using this medium.
"The illuminated manuscript was painted in tempera with finely ground pigments."
"She mixed the pigments with egg yolk to make a smooth tempera."
"The museum's medieval tempera depicts a richly detailed religious scene."
The plural temperas is used for individual works made with the medium.
"The exhibition includes two temperas from the fifteenth century."
For centuries, egg tempera was a principal medium of panel painting, helping preserve some of Europe's most memorable artworks before oil painting became dominant.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tempera come from?
Tempera entered English from Italian tempera, a noun derived from Latin temperare, meaning “to mix, moderate, or temper.” The same Latin root underlies English words such as temper, temperament, temperamental, and intemperate. In the art context, the word came to denote a pigment-and-binder medium, especially the traditional mixture based on egg yolk.
How tempera is actually used
Tempera is primarily a noun and is often used with technical or art-historical registers. It is commonly paired with egg when the medium needs to be specified, although tempera may also refer historically to related binders in some contexts.
Easily confused with tempera
Tempera is a painting medium made with pigments and egg yolk, whereas a temper is a person's disposition or the act of moderating something.