A technique of painting characterised by mineral pigments suspended in binders such as egg yolk, casein, glycerine or gum in water. Tempera is known for being permanent and fast-drying and was used to decorate stone stelae, mummy enclosures and papyrus rolls in ancient Egypt, as well as paint wooden panels and altarpieces with Byzantine icons during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It also refers to paintings done using this method. The word derives from the word temper, meaning “to bring a desired consistency.”