Editing Tempera (section)

===Ground===
[[File:Tarlati-polyptych-Pietro Lorenzetti Pieve di santa Maria Arezzo.jpg|thumb|[[Pietro Lorenzetti]]'s ''[[Tarlati polyptych]]'', Tempera and gold on panel, 1320]]
Tempera adheres best to an absorbent [[Ground (art)|ground]] that has a lower oil content than the tempera binder used (the traditional rule of thumb is ''"[[fat over lean]]"'', and never the other way around).<ref>Doerner, Max, 1946. ''The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting''. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company. p. 230.</ref><ref>Mayer, Ralph, 1976. ''The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques'' (3rd ed.). New York: Viking Penguin Inc., pp. 165, 253.</ref> The ground traditionally used is inflexible Italian [[gesso]], and the substrate is usually rigid as well.<ref>Mayer, 1976, p. 269.</ref> Historically wood panels were used as the substrate, and more recently un-tempered [[masonite]] or [[medium density fiberboard]] (MDF) have been employed; heavy paper is also used.