This painting medium is composed of pigments mixed with linseed, walnut, or other oils. Its advantage over tempera is that it can be applied as layered transparent glazes for a richer, more luminous effect. The Master of Flémalle and Jan van Eyck were among the first artists to use oil paints on panel. It was Antonello da Messina who introduced the oil glazing technique to Italy. He studied the works of van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden in the collection of King Alfonso of Naples and he may have learned the technique firsthand from Petrus Christus in the Sforza court in Milan.
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. Lilian H. Zirpolo. 2008.