Mestica
Derived from “mesticare”, to mix, in artistic literature between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries the term “mestica” was generally used as a synonym for preparation. In more recent times it is identified with a colored coating characterized by the use of fatty substances, clay, fixed oils or greasy paints, however quite distinct from the most ancient gypsum and glue preparation.
In particular, the use of the mestica finds its meaning in the need for a less porous preparation for the application of oil colors.
Giorgio Vasari (1550) defines the mestica as a “compound of ground earths that is placed on the canvas or board to be painted” and Filippo Baldinucci (1681) a “compound of different earths and colors ground with walnut or linseed oil to be applied to the canvases or tables you want to paint “.
