In 1861, Borromée published the first version of Régéneration de la peinture à fresque par des procédés équivalents à ceux des anciens (Regeneration of fresco painting technique thanks to an equivalent process inspired by the Ancients). This text sets out the results of his research begun in 1832 for the production of new paint binders, called Bases. He offered a new edition of his text in 1864. Although his innovation is representative of a French enthusiasm for new techniques, it is diffi cult to work out who his audience actually was. According to the magazine Gazette des architectes et du bâtiment in 1867, one of his “Bases”, a tempera binding media, had a wide customer base and would have been used for the decorative schemes in the castle of Pierrefonds, and also in the abbey of Saint-Denis. This poster presents the first results from research still in progress.