Gold leaf and egg tempera paint on poplar panel

12cm x 12cm x 1.8cm

This painting takes its inspiration from a drawing by the early Renaissance polymath known as Taccola. 

For the dragon itself, the poisonous pigments vermilion and red lead were used, with cochineal, made from ground beetles, in the shadows. The paint was laid over gold leaf and was scratched through to reveal the gold in the areas of the scales.

The background is painted in azurite, a pigment made from a semi-precious stone, scumbled over black to give a brooding, smoky effect.