In March we're celebrating Whiteshell colour made from disposed eggshells! It's fascinating to know that eggshells were used for multiple purposes in Antiquity. In Egypt, ostriches were quite used animals; the feathers for decoration, the eggs for food and the shells for ornamentation and pigment. I can say that holding an ostrich eggshell is a fascinating experience; admiring its colour, size, texture and hardness makes you think about the beauty in nature.
WHITESHELL
From eggshells
Etymology: ovum
Source: animal
Composition: calcium carbonate
Colour range: white, beige, pale pink
Some history...
The size of an ostrich egg can be up to fifteen centimetres in length and thirteen centimetres in diameter with a shell thickness of up to 3,5 millimetres and can weight up to 1,5 kilograms.
The eggs were used as an ingredient for medicine because its composition is basically calcium. The consumption of ostrich meat was evident as well as the use of egg ‘glaire’ (white) as a binding medium for paint. The eggs were decorated and the vessels were made from the shells, which were embellished with precious metals and other ceramic pieces.
These were used as containers for various purposes to keep precious things and for perfume. The egg would be drained, then cleaned and decorated before it was used. Eggshell jewelry was common; shells were worked into jewelry beads possibly for ear, forehead or clothing ornaments with amulet purposes.
During the Middle Ages, whites made from eggshells and calcinated bird bones were quite common used for painting. Medieval painters mostly used minerals and recycled organic materials for making pigments, sourced locally or imported. The main colours were blues, reds, greens, blacks, yellows and whites from lead and eggshells.
Collecting eggshells at home can become a playful and sustainable hobby, all of this to make white pigment. My kitchen is full of containers filled with eggshells. Almost every day I eat fresh free range boiled eggs. After peeling the egg, I just wash the shells and let them dry for 2 days and they will be ready for grinding them up.
It is fantastic to see all the colour ranges of different egg types going from off white to pale pink.
In my personal experience the process of grinding eggshells is quite beautiful. I use a marbled pestle and mortar to grind up the eggshells in the most authentic and basic way but it's time consuming. You should sit down, relax and start grinding it for a couple of hours until it becomes powder.
After you've got the powder (pigment) ready you can make watercolours by mixing the pigment with gum arabic. If you're interested and would love to learn how to make watercolours you may contact us for the next Colour Alchimia workshop.
RECIPE
Making whiteshell pigment
INGREDIENTS:
1 ostrich eggshell or several chicken eggshells
EQUIPMENT:
Pestle and mortar
1 glass or plastic container
Palette knife
Brush
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PROCESS
 
Photos: Kkgas, Studio Laura Daza, Elsa Yranzo, Andrea Costa
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