Renaissance watercolors in Illuminated manuscript, portrait miniatures

The video highlights the qualities that made watercolor the preferred medium for many Renaissance artists by concentrating on three types of objects: illuminated manuscripts, portrait miniatures, and colored sketches.
Pigment particles are mixed with a binder, such as gum arabic or animal glue, and water to make watercolor paint.
Today, watercolour artists mix water with ready-made paint and apply it to paper, creating a transparent wash. However, during the Renaissance, artists used watercolour paint in different ways. They prefered watercolour rather than oil paint because of its technical properties and the produced effects.
Watercolor was often used by artists for illuminated manuscripts because it reflects light, giving these books the desired luminosity.
Before photography, miniatures were used to depict a person’s appearance accurately. Renaissance painters tend to use watercolour for portrait miniatures. Because watercolour paint reflects more light than oil paint, it is chosen by artists to give the sitter a purer, brighter, and more lively appearance.
In the 16th century, Jacques le Moyne de Morgues was one of many artists who used watercolor to depict the natural world. Watercolour allowed him to capture the true-to-life colours of the objects.
The ending part of the video reflects a modern-day painting of a pomegranate by artist Lucy Smith, using traditional watercolor techniques.