Mediums were used by painters in order to modify the texture and drying properties of their paint. During the 19th century, British artists developed a particular medium made of siccative oil, mastic resin and lead acetate trihydrate. The so-called “gumtions” form gel-like materials in a relatively short time, outperforming the existing paint media. This thesis contributes unveiling the chemical processes involved in the formation and ageing of gumtions. As a first step, we focused on mastic resin since it is a key component for the preparation of gumtion. The triterpenic fraction of the resin was identified and quantified using GC and GC/MS. Moreover, we took advantage of Spectroscopic Ellipsometry so as to study the optical properties of varnish thin films as well as their behaviour (swelling) under various atmospheres. Then, we reproduced historical recipes that helped us afterwards to define simplified formulations to deepen the understanding of the chemical interactions between the gel components, made of oleanolic acid (commercial triterpenoid) and a lead compound (acetate or oxide). They were investigated at dierent scales by spectroscopic (FTIR, MASNMR) and supramolecular analyses (Cryo-TEM, SAXS). The use of these complementary techniques gives an overview of the gel’s structure and formation: rapidly, a coordination complex is formed between lead and the carboxylic acid moieties of the triterpenoids, that organizeinto2Dobjectsleadingtothesolid-likebehaviorofthematerial. After few months ageing, we observed the self-assembly of crystalline nanoparticles into lamellar structures, witnessing the dynamic occurring in the material even after gelation.bly of crystalline nanoparticles into lamellar structures, witnessing the dynamic occurring in the material even after gelation.