Italian term. In artistic literature, between the 16th and 18th centuries, the term was generally used as a synonym for the ground. In more recent times, the mestica is identified as a coloured imprimatura and is characterized by the use of fat substances, like lead white, crete in fixed oils or fat varnishes. Nonetheless, it is quite distinct from the more traditional preparation made with a base of gesso and glue. In particular, the use of the mestica finds its significance in the necessity for a less porous ground for the application of oil paints. Giorgio Vasari defines the mestica as "composed of ground earth that is plastered over the canvas or panel to be painted," and Filippo Baldinucci (1681) as "composed of diverse colours and ground earth with walnut oil or linseed oil to put on canvases or panels that one wishes to paint."