A perfect ground

Grounds, or preparatory layers, form the basis upon which all artistic paintings are executed and can have a great impact on the "success" of a painting, influencing both its aesthetic qualities and its longevity. Artists in different locations and at different times selected various materials and techniques to prepare their supports for painting. The subject of grounds also occupied the minds of the authors of artists' manuals, recipe books and related historical sources. They wrote about ground colour and the devastating effect a faulty ground could have on the long-term stability of a…