An opaque paint made by mixing ground pigments with water and animal or vegetable glue as a binder. Distemper paint dries to a matte finish that is not durable. In European art, it was often used for short-term decorative projects such as theater scene-painting, banners, and temporary murals. Distemper has also been used widely in Asian painting traditions, especially in Tibet and Nepal.
Chakrasamvara with his Consort, Vajravarahi. Tibet. Ca. 1450-1500. Distemper on cotton. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.