What is the difference between a wall painting, a mural painting and a fresco ?
The terms ‘wall painting’ and ‘mural painting’ are interchangeable and describe all types of decorative painting on built structures. ‘Fresco’ refers to a particular technique of wall painting in which pigments are applied to fresh lime plaster, so that the pigment particles are bound in the lime (calcium carbonate) matrix as it sets. True fresco (buon fresco) technique is common it Italy and southern European countries, but is not believed to exist in Great Britain. However, there is a similar technique involving the application of pigments in limewash which is found in a number of British examples in the 12th century.
