What type of paint did they use in the middle ages?

Answer 1

There were different types of paint depending on what surface was to be painted: parchment and vellum, wood or stone.

On parchment and vellum, which are the skins of sheep/goats and calves respectively, egg tempera was used. This consisted of finely-ground mineral or plant-based pigments mixed with egg white or egg yolk (depending on the colour), where the egg provides a binding agent. The resulting paint was mixed with a little water before use.

On wood, pigments were mixed with oil from poppies, the flax plant (linseed oil) or gum from cherry or plum trees. A varnish of gluten was applied to seal the work.

On stone walls (as in churches and palaces), a coating of sandy lime plaster was first applied and allowed to dry. Then it was lime-washed to make it white. Then pigments were mixed with more lime mortar and applied to the wall - effectively becoming part of the surface of the wall.

Colours were generally limited to green, blue, vermilion, ochres, black and white. Brushes were made of squirrel hair.