There are so many brightly colored toxic minerals in the world, and afaik pigments were widely traded. Gotta remember - These artists were in the middle of the world, at the center of trade-routes stretching from China to the most savage and remote reaches of Europe.
Anyone doing death portraits like that was going to be a skilled tradesperson, and you weren't going to become a skilled tradesperson without access to the needed materials. Whether that meant wealthy family or apprenticeship idk
I’m less surprised by the illustrative skill then by the fact that they were able to get all the necessary pigments they wanted for those colors.
There are so many brightly colored toxic minerals in the world, and afaik pigments were widely traded. Gotta remember - These artists were in the middle of the world, at the center of trade-routes stretching from China to the most savage and remote reaches of Europe.
Anyone doing death portraits like that was going to be a skilled tradesperson, and you weren't going to become a skilled tradesperson without access to the needed materials. Whether that meant wealthy family or apprenticeship idk