Category: Conservation
Brancacci Chapel given Green Light for Restoration
May 18 2021
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News has emerged in Italy that the authorities in Florence have signed a three-year deal for the restoration of the significant frescos of the Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. The work, which will be carried out by the company Opificio delle Pietre Dure, will focus on stabilising the delicate frescos which have been seen to be deteriorating during an inspection made in 2020.
Fingers crossed that the eventual re-emergence of these significant works by Masaccio, Masolino and Filippino Lippi won't end up shocking us like this project recently undertaken in Rome.
How to Fix a Flaking Gainsborough
May 18 2021
Picture: Holkham Hall
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Katherine Hardwick, collections coordinator at Holkham Hall in Norfolk, has penned a blog describing recent conservation work to Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of Thomas William Coke ‘of Norfolk’. Alas, the portrait was found to be suffering from serious 'flaking' ten years ago. A campaign of restoration undertaken in 2011 had since failed to fix the problem. During the past months conservators from the Hamilton Kerr Institute have had another go at fixing the problem with special techniques using glue. The newly restored painting has been rehung in the South Dining Room and will be on display for visitors.
Murillo's Madonna del latte Conserved
May 15 2021
Picture: barberinicorsini.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Palazzo Barberini and Corsini Gallery in Rome will be opening a new exhibition next week dedicated to the restoration of Murillo's Madonna del latte. A recent campaign of x-ray analysis and conservation has revealed several interesting elements regarding the artist's process, all which will be revealed in this small show.
The exhibition will run until 11th July 2021.
Vatican sends newly 'restored' Madonna delle Partorienti to Turin
May 13 2021
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Vatican Museums have sent Antoniazzo Romano's highly revered Madonna delle Partorienti to a special exhibition in the Torino Musei Foundation. This fragment of fresco, produced during the late fifteenth century, was removed from the wall in 1574 during the construction of the new St Peter's. By 1605 the work was then reinstalled in a special grotto chapel located underneath the floor of the basilica.
The museum has also taken the opportunity to 'restore' the work especially for the exhibition. Here's an image of what it looked like previously:
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Does any reader happen to know if unfavourable comments relating to Vatican conservation work results in automatic excommunication?
Update - Here are some high-resolution images showing the new work a little more clearly.
Update 2 - Several readers have sent in correspondence explaining that criticism does in fact result in an automatic excommunication.
MET Acquires Ter Brugghen's Roman Charity
May 12 2021
Picture: @adameaker
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's assistant curator for European Paintings Adam Eaker has shared news that the museum has acquired Hendrick ter Brugghen's Roman Charity. The work, signed and dated 1623, has recently been conserved by the museum and will go on display later this summer. It was acquired with the assistance of various funds including those from the late Jayne Wrightsman.
Paintings Conserved in Earthquake Shocked Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio
May 10 2021
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A set of paintings have been conserved in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila, Italy. This large medieval church, which contains the remains of Pope Celestine V (d. 1296), was damaged after a disastrous earthquake in 2009. The works included within the ongoing project include The Coronation of Celestine, The Renunciation of the Papacy, Death of Celestine and Mary receives gifts from the Jewish People, the later of which is by the Neapolitan artist Nicola Malinconico (1663-1721) (pictured). The restoration was made possible due to various emergency funds and a generous donation of €47,200.
Duke of Buccleuch's Holbein Conserved for HRP Exhibition
May 10 2021
Picture: HRP
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Historic Royal Palace's upcoming Hampton Court exhibition Gold and Glory: Henry VIII and the French King will be opening to the public on 20th May 2021. This delayed exhibition, which was originally planned for 2020 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Field of the Cloth of Gold, really does look like a treat for art and history lovers alike. The show will feature major loans from the Royal Collection and other various institutions and private collections.
In particular, the exhibition has allowed for the recent conservation and cleaning of the Duke of Buccleuch's portrait of Sir Nicholas Carew (c.1528) by Hans Holbein the Younger. This is an absolutely striking portrait, just as powerful as any armoured portrait you'll find in Italy during this period I'd say! Carew had jousted at the Field of the Cloth of Gold making the inclusion here very relevant.
Indeed, the work has long been described as the finest painting featuring early armour made from the Royal Workshops at Greenwich. These workshops were established in the exact same period when Holbein produced this image. The painting is a portrait of the armour as much as the man, details which I'm sure patrons like Carew and Henry would have adored and insisted on.
Update - We're just looking up what John Rowlands said about the work in his catalogue raisonne published in 1985, it seems that the attribution to Holbein may have been doubted in the past. More information soon.
Update 2 - A few readers have kindly been in touch with information that the painting was described as by 'Workshop or by an Associate of Holbein' in Susan Foister's Holbein and England (2005) book.
Update 3 - A reader has kindly shared the link to Holbein's preparatory drawing of Carew, kept in the Kunstmuseum, Basel.
Lecture: Mathematics and Art Conservation
May 6 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has kindly informed me of this rather intriguing free online lecture being broadcast by St Cross College at the University of Oxford. Professor Ingrid Daubechies of Duke University will be giving The 7th Lorna Casselton Memorial Lecture on the subject of Mathematics and Art Conservation. Prof. Daubechies has previously been involved in using image-processing algorithms to digitally restore paintings and has also worked with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to create digital processes to identify forgeries.
The lecture will be broadcast on 13th May 2021 at 17.00 GMT. The lecture is free to attend but you'll have to register with the University of Oxford's online system first.
Sursock Palace Damage
May 4 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Ireland's RTE have published an article on the damage inflicted on Beirut's Sursock Palace after last August's port explosion. The piece contains some rather melancholic photos, showing the true extent on the building and artworks. Also revealed is the even more shocking news that the owner of the Sursock Palace, Lady Yvonne Cochrane, 98, died from injuries sustained in the blast. Lady Cochrane's heirs are currently undertaking a six year restoration project which is expected to cost over €6.5m.
Early Wall Paintings Conserved in Coventry
May 4 2021
Picture: Historic Coventry
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A set of wall paintings have been conserved in the Charterhouse, Coventry. The set of three includes a large Crucifixion scene dating to c.1430, an early 17th century fictive imitation tapestry and a further large mural from the late 16th century.
Mark Perry, co-director of the The Perry Lithgow Partnership who undertook the work, is quoted as saying:
The earliest painting at Charterhouse depicts the Crucifixion in the centre with the Virgin Mary and St Anne on either side and several smaller figures in between. The main figures are very large and the painting would originally have covered the whole of the south wall of the monastery’s refectory. Due to extensive Post Reformation alterations to the building, only the bottom half now remains. This is the only surviving wall painting in a Carthusian monastery in England which means it is of national importance – it is one of the best pieces of Medieval art in the whole country.
Visitors will be able to see the newly restored works when the Charterhouse reopens in the Summer to celebrate Coventry's twelve months as UK City of Culture.
Teatro di San Carlo to Restore Giant Theatre Curtain
May 4 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Teatro di San Carlo in Naples have announced their plans to conserve their enormous painted theatre curtain. The painting of Parnassus, which measures 12 metres high x 17 metres wide, was completed by artist Giuseppe Mancinelli (1818-1875) in 1854. Surprisingly, especially given the curtain's current appearance, the enormous painting had been treated as recently as 2011. The new campaign of restoration will be undertaken by the Italian company Ambra Restauri.
Separated Balthasar van Ast Stitched Back Together
April 30 2021
Picture: codart.nl
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Cynthia Osiecki, Curator of Old Masters, Nasjonalmuseet for Kunst, Arkitektur og Design in Oslo, Norway, has penned an article for CODART.NL giving an introduction to the collection of paintings at the museum.
Amongst the most interesting sections discusses research undertaken on the museum's Balthasar van Ast's (1593/1594-1657) Still Life with Fruit and Shells created between 1620 and 1632 (left). Conservation of the work had revealed "traces of flowers and cherries at the edge of the painting, indicating that this basket of fruit must once have been larger."
According to Osiecki's article:
The examination made it clear that the work had once been one of Van der Ast’s larger horizontal paintings that display fruit and flowers on a table. An initial search into its provenance revealed that the painting’s previous owner, Frederick Conrad Bugge, bought it in its current state as ‘anonymous’ at some point between 1824 and 1829. But that other paintings by Van der Ast had fallen victim to being split up in this way only became clear to me when I studied the Aachen exhibition catalogue Die Stillleben des Balthasar van der Ast (1593/94–1657) from 2016. It was there that I found a painting marked as a fragment which matched the traces on our panel.
With the help of the director of the Suermondt-Ludwig Museum and CODART member Peter van den Brink I managed to track down the private owner and confirm with our conservator that the paintings had most likely once belonged together. In the near future, we hope to confirm this by non-invasive research and display the works side by side after they have spent more than 200 years apart.
Large Robert Scott Lauder Conserved in Empty Gallery
April 29 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A large painting of Christ Teacheth Humanity by Robert Scott Lauder (1803-1869) has been conserved in an empty room of the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in Edinburgh. The BBC have run a short article claiming that the RSA has "only one painting in it and one person at work" at the present. This enormous picture is owned by the National Gallery of Scotland and was one of the first paintings purchased by the galleries.
As conservator Lesley Stevenson explained:
I needed a space and by chance the galleries at RSA were empty so we were able to negotiate a space to work in peace and relative isolation.
These galleries are usually busy with people visiting exhibitions, the noise from Princes Street and security staff coming in and out so it has been very strange.
I'll be really delighted when the new galleries open and the painting will be reunited with its restored frame. That will be the best moment, really.
Before and After - The Hermitage School of Raphael Frescos
April 28 2021
Video: State Hermitage Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has kindly pointed out the following video released by The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The presentation provides some rather amazing 'before' and 'after' images of the restoration of the museum's fresco cycle given to 'the School of Raphael'. It seems that later over-zealous re-painting had obscured some lovely original work preserved underneath. Considering that these frescos were removed from the plaster work of a building during the nineteenth century, it is quite amazing that they survived at all!
Juan del Castillo Conserved
April 27 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Spain that the Andaluz Institute of Historical Heritage have put on display a recently conserved painting by the Seville baroque painter Juan del Castillo (1590-1657). The work was originally commissioned by the Jesuits in 1611-12 and later became state property when the order was expelled from Spain in 1767.
The work will feature within a small exhibition in the Museum of the University of Seville showcasing the painting's conservation.
Borghese Gallery's Titian X-rayed
April 26 2021
Picture: radiocolonna.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Galleria Borghese's Venus Blindfolding Cupid by Titian has undergone an interesting conservation project in recent months.
Indeed, recent x-rays of the painting have revealed more details concerning the additional figure that Titian decided to paint out of the scene. The pentimento suggests that the painter had initially included Euphrosyne (good cheer and joy) within the composition. Therefore, it is likely that the other two figures would have originally represented Aglaea (splendour) and Thalia (prosperity) to complete the set of 'Three Graces'. The painting received its current title in 1870, when it was suggested by the art historian Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle.
The work will be exhibited in Mantua later this year for their set of exhibitions on Venus.
BBC's The Repair Shop Restores an Old Master
April 22 2021
Picture: BBC
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Of course, Fake or Fortune? and Britain's Lost Masterpieces are not the only programmes on the BBC that feature painting conservation.
The popular tv show and 'fix & mend it' phenomenon The Repair Shop has broadcast the restoration of a portrait of King Charles II. The painting was brought in by Liz Vella whose seven-year-old son Dylan is a history enthusiast and encouraged her to have it fixed up to hang in their home. The painting was given to the show's paintings conservator Lucia Scalisi who seems to have done a rather good job in bringing the damaged work back to life. It seems that the image is linked to a miniature of Charles by Robert Peake, and might be a copy after a contemporary engraving made after the miniature.
You can catch up on the episode here on the BBC IPlayer.
Uffizi Entrance Restoration Reveals Frescos
April 22 2021
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence have shared images of newly restored frescos that have emerged after the restoration of the gallery's entrance and shops.
The two main images that have emerged are a roundel portrait Grand Duke Ferdinand I and a large full-length portrait of the young Cosimo II de' Medici. Allegories of Florence and Siena have also been revealed. These paintings are believed to be the work of artist Bernardino Poccetti (1548-1612) and were covered up during a remodelling project made during the eighteenth century.
The museum has been able to restore 2000 square metres of space thus far for their new Uffizi project.
Why do Picassos from 1917 Crack?
April 22 2021
Picture: The Art Newspaper
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Newspaper have published an interesting article exploring why Picasso's works from 1917 have deteriorated much quicker than other works from this period. The article uses data collected from a study by ProMeSa, a three-year research project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. In particular, the project has been interested in a selection of works inspired by dancers and made while Picasso was working at a friend's studio in Barcelona during the year 1917.
According to the article:
Picasso used a canvas with a tighter weave for Hombre sentado (pictured), coating it with a thicker ground layer of animal glue, researchers found. Both factors meant larger internal stresses formed when the paintings were exposed to fluctuating humidity, while chemical reactions between certain pigments and binding media sparked chemical reactions that caused paints to degrade. As a result, the paints gradually cracked when stresses built...
Recently Conserved Fra Angelico sent to Forlì
April 20 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that a recently conserved painting by Fra Angelico has been loaned from the Museum of San Marco to the Musei di San Domenico in Forlì, Northern Italy. The Final Judgement, and another Nativity by the artist already in the city, will form part of an exhibition on Dante that will run till 11th July 2021. This significant loan was brokered by the Uffizi Gallery's director Eike Schmidt.
