Paul Claude-Michel Carpentier

Paul Claude-Michel Carpentier (27 November 1787 in Rouen – 10 May 1877 in Paris) was a French portrait, genre, history painter and author.

[1] In 1825 Carpentier earned a silver and bronze medal respectively at salons in Douai and Lille for his painting A Painter in His Studio Giving Advice to his Young Student.

Because of this interest, in 1875 he wrote the monograph Note Sur à la Peinture la Cire Cautérisée ou Procéde Encaustique[2] which addresses all aspects of the process from softening the wax, mixing the colors with wax, the proper preparation of canvas, walls, stone, and panels, whether wood or zinc.

Then follows with how to create a matte or glossy finish and concludes with examples of antique encaustic works at the Louvre that testify to the method’s durability.

The article includes images of the tools to melt wax as well as a recommended plan and layout for one’s paint box.