Oil paint very slowly, darken, and crack, unlike mastic and wax (the latter of which was used in encaustic painting). Greek writers such as Aetius Amidenus recorded recipes involving the use of oils for drying, such as walnut, poppy, hempseed, pine nut, castor, and linseed. When thickened, the oils became resinous and could be used as varnish to seal and protect paintings from water. Additionally, when yellow pigment was added to oil, it could be spread over tin foil as a less expensive alternative to gold leaf. Early Christian monks maintained these records and used the techniques in their own artworks. Theophilus
H. G. Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company Plant H. G. Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company Plant H. G. Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company Plant is a historic factory located at Lyons in Wayne County, New York. The remaining two story commercial building is an example of a small frame structure featuring a double storefront with modest ornamentation. It was built about 1884 on the foundations of an earlier structure and is located on the bank of the original Erie Canal. It was occupied by a major producer of essential oils, principally peppermint oil used in the manufacture of patent medicine. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places