<P> Tempera ( Italian : ( ˈtɛmpera ) ) , also known as egg tempera , is a permanent , fast - drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water - soluble binder medium ( usually glutinous material such as egg yolk or some other size ) . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium . Tempera paintings are very long lasting , and examples from the first century AD still exist . Egg tempera was a primary method of painting until after 1500 when it was superseded by the invention of oil painting . A paint consisting of pigment and glue size commonly used in the United States as poster paint is also often referred to as `` tempera paint , '' although the binders and sizes in this paint are different from traditional tempera paint . </P>
tempera is paint in which the vehicle is in
a water - soluble binder medium ( usually glutinous material such as egg yolk or some other size )