Term already in use at the beginning of the 17th Century to indicate a board on which the artist puts a series of paints along the edge, according to a logical and consequential order. In oval or rectangular form, the palette has a hole on one side in order to be held and maneuvered based on the artist’s needs. The palette also has a central space where colours are mixed and necessary impastos (see impasto) are created. In oil painting, the palette is made of wood, while in tempera, gouache and watercolour, surfaces impermeable to paint are required, such as porcelain, enamel or glass. In the 18th Century, the term also assumed the meaning of the chromatic gamma favoured by the artist or particularly characteristic of his/her works.