Category: Conservation
National Museum of Wales Conserving Strozzi
June 14 2024
Picture: 'X' via @NMWPrevCons
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff have shared this interesting mid-clean image of Bernardo Strozzi's St Francis of Assisi embracing a Crucifix. Follow this link ----->#mce_temp_url# to see an image of the painting prior to conservation, it promises to be a remarkable clean!
Versailles Conserving Mignard's 'The family of the Grand Dauphin'
June 10 2024
Picture: @CVersailles
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Palace of Versailles have published some rather interesting mid-clean photographs of the conservation of Pierre Mignard's The family of the Grand Dauphin, Louis of France (1661-1711). This large-scale work, which was delivered in 1687, is the latest to be treated by conservators at the Palace.
Watch Correggio Conservation in Dresden
June 5 2024
Picture: gemaeldegalerie.skd.museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This blog appears to have missed the news that the The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden are allowing visitors to go and see the conservation of Correggio's Madonna of Saint Sebastian. The project, which started back in 2022, involved a temporary conservation studio being built in the gallery which is accessible to visitors. It appears that art lovers will have until the end of the year (2024) to go and see the conservation of this enormous oil on panel painting.
The Louvre Conserve Arcimboldo Seasons
June 5 2024
Picture: Louvre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre in Paris have shared news that they have conserved their set of Giuseppe Arcimboldo's celebrated Seasons. The project undertaken by conservator Roberto Merlo had included the removal of floral garlands which had decorated the margins of these portraits (which can be seen here), as they were deemed to have been added in the eighteenth century. Another very interesting conservation project undertaken by this traditionally cautious museum - let's see what will be cleaned next...
The restored paintings are on view from today onwards, so do go and see them if you happen to be in Paris!
Donatello's Judith and Holofernes Conserved
June 4 2024
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that Donatello's bronze of Judith and Holofernes has been conserved and redisplayed to the public. The sculpture, in the collections of Palazzo Vecchio, has just completed a ten-month conservation project which was funded in part by the Friends of Florence Foundation. Click on the link to see images of the newly restored work.
François Lemoyne Frescos Being Restored
June 3 2024
Video: Coupe-File Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from France of the ongoing restoration of François Lemoyne's frescos completed for the la chapelle de la Vierge in the l’église Saint-Sulpice, Paris. The vast project, which covers 373 m² of frescos, will be revealed to the public later in July.
Conserving Kauffman at Petworth
May 31 2024
Picture: nationaltrust.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new display will be opening at Petworth House on 10th June dedicated to the recent conservation of Angelica Kauffman's Diomed and Cressida (1788).
According to The National Trust's website:
Conserving Kauffman will include a short film that documents the conservation of the painting and its frame, interwoven with fascinating historical details about Kauffman, the Shakespeare Gallery where the painting was originally exhibited, and the history of Petworth House itself.
“It’s so exciting to see this spectacular painting returning to Petworth. Previously hidden details have been painstakingly restored and vibrant colours have been revealed. We can’t wait to unveil it to visitors and shine a light on the fantastic work of our conservators in bringing it back to life”. - Dr Emily Knight, Property Curator.
The display will run until 24th November 2024 and access is included within the Petworth House entry ticket.
Brancacci Chapel Restoration Completed
May 29 2024
Video: @MichelangeloBuonarrotietornato
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The restoration of the Brancacci Chapel in Florence has been completed after a 3 1/2 year project. Begun in November 2020, the project had included an in-depth analysis of the pigments and processes used in its creation by Masolino, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi. Findings will be presented in a special conference next Spring. Watch the video above to see some of the conservators at work, although, the accompanying music is awful, so I recommend muting your speakers beforehand.
Katherine Parr Cleaned
May 23 2024
Picture: Left - Sotheby's / Right - @NPGLondon via 'X'
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Portrait Gallery in London have shared a photo on 'X' showing the recently restored portrait of Katherine Parr (right), the last wife of King Henry VIII. The painting, attributed to Master John, had been sold from the collection of the Earls of Jersey at Sotheby's in 2023 (left) and is now in a private collection. The conservation of this portrait has been very successful by the looks of it. Those bold blocks of colour in the background, set against Katherine's face and intricate dress, gives the portrait a remarkably modern feel I think.
It appears that the painting will be included in the NPG's upcoming Six Wives exhibition which opens in June.
Cornelis van der Geest's Quentin Metsys Discovered
May 23 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London have released news that the prime version of Quentin Metsys' Madonna of the Cherries has been discovered. The work had actually appeared as 'Studio of' back in 2015 (pictured left), however, the recent cleaning of the picture has shown it to be a painting of high quality. Furthermore, it appears that this picture is the same that was once owned by Cornelis van der Geest and appears in a famous painting of his gallery by Willem van Haecht.
The painting will be offered in the upcoming Christie's London Old Masters Part I sale carrying an estimate of £8m - £12m.
Kauffmann and Restored Reynolds on Display at Saltram House
May 21 2024
Picture: art9000.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Saltram House in Devon, a property run by The National Trust, have been lent Angelica Kauffmann's portrait of its previous owner Theresa Parker from a private collection. The painting is on display alongside the property's recently restored full-length portrait of Theresa by Sir Joshua Reynolds. According to the article linked above:
Kauffman’s portrait of Theresa Parker was commissioned by Parker herself as a gift for her friend Lady Pelham. The portrait is on loan from a private collection and is being shown in public for the first time in this country.
The small full-length depiction of Theresa is intimate in scale and shows her in fashionable Turkish dress. The portrait representing Theresa’s love for her friend contrasts the portrait by Reynolds, which was commissioned for public display at the Royal Academy in 1773, and as a companion for another large historical family portrait in the Saloon. [...]
The two portraits of Theresa Parker have added poignance as Theresa sadly died in 1775 at the age of only 35. Reynolds was the one to write her obituary, again, a testament to their friendship and his respect of her artistic knowledge and sensibility.
The paintings will be on display in the house until the end of June.
Special Exhibition for Restored Carracci Fireplaces
May 21 2024
Picture: lemusenews.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A special exhibition has just opened at the Palazzo d'Accursio in Bologna. The show is dedicated to two recently restored fireplaces by Ludovico and Annibale Carracci. The frescos, which were removed from their original settings and placed onto canvas in 1911, were purchased at auction in 2022 by Michelangelo Poletti. The works have since been restored and will now be on display until 22nd September 2024. Click on the link above to read the full story.
See Restoration of Masaccio on Scaffold
May 10 2024
Picture: smn.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Visitors to the Florentine Church of Santa Maria Novella will be able to glimpse at Masaccio's The Holy Trinity up-close during the next few weeks. This has been made possible due to a special scaffold having been erected for a conservation project on the wall painting. It will cost a mere €1.50 (on top of your entrance ticket) to see the work up close!
National Trust painting turns out to be a print
May 10 2024
Picture: nationaltrustcollections.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The BBC have reported on news that The National Trust have discovered that a painting, previous catalogued as a work on paper, is in fact a print. The work of art at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk was previously believed to be a straightforward copy of a Van Dyck executed in oil on paper. This was until it was sent away for conservation and its true identity and author was revealed.
According to the press release:
It was discovered the reproduction of the Three Eldest Children of Charles I was in fact a print by Jacob Christoff Le Blon, who first created the three-colour printing process.
"Only three Le Blon prints of it are known to survive, so to have discovered a fourth is really exciting," said National Trust curator Jane Eade. [...]
He was the first to create a three-colour printing process – the forerunner of the CMYK colour printing used today, external.
The revolutionary method used mezzotint, a monochrome printmaking process, with separate plates inked in blue, yellow and red, and superimposed on one another in order to create variable depth of hue.
Rediscovered Caravaggio Conserved and Hung in Prado
May 9 2024
Picture: apnews
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news broke earlier this week that the rediscovered Caravaggio that reappeared back in 2021 has been conserved and hung in the Prado Museum in Madrid. The loan of the painting has been handled by Colnaghi, whilst the restoration was undertaken by Andrea Cipriani 'and his team in collaboration with two London dealers, Filippo Benappi of Benappi Fine Art and Andrea Lullo of Lullo Pampoulides gallery.'
The painting, alongside a special new study by several academics on the artist and period, will be on display until October 2024.
Adopt a Fresco at the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo a Passignano
May 1 2024
Picture: Wikipedia
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo a Passignano, also known as the Badia di Passignano, are running an 'Adopt a Fresco' scheme to help raise money to conserve their set of 30 wall paintings. Undertaken by Filippo di Antonio Filippelli (1460-1506), a pupil of Domenico Ghirlandaio, the vast scheme of paintings are in need of consolidation and restoration. Donors will have the opportunity to have their names engraved onto a plaque.
Recent Release: Radiography and Painting
April 30 2024
Picture: brepols.net
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's an interesting recent publication which I missed from the end of last year. Radiography and Painting is a two-volume book by Elisabeth Ravaud, a doctor of medicine and a PhD in art history, and examines the history and application of x-rays in the world of paintings.
According to the book's blurb:
Radiography is a technique that has been employed in the study of paintings for more than a century. The history of this method of analysis indicates that its development has been modest since the 1960s, as its use has been limited to reductive approaches that take into account no more than the immediately intelligible signs. By systematically considering the physical mechanisms involved in the creation of an image, this volume seeks to demonstrate that we can access new fields of radiological analysis by identifying two categories of 'signs': those that may be obvious but whose meaning is misleading, and those which are not immediately comprehensible.
This study has been primarily based on a thorough and essential reviewing of current literature concerning the materials and processes used for the making of paintings. The semiological analysis is based on the understanding of the physical phenomena occurring in the formation of the image, and on correlations between the radiographic images of a painting and the information stemming from its observation, other scientific results, and the restoration reports. Furthermore, a number of experiments were conducted to consolidate certain assumptions regarding image-formation mechanisms. Ultimately, this book hopes to show how data resulting from radiographic analysis can be seen and set in a broader context of information on a specific work or a group of works, in order to enrich our knowledge of art history, history of technology, and conservation as well as restoration.
Louvre Unveils Conserved Delacroix
April 30 2024
Picture: Delacroix, La Liberté guidant le peuple APRES restauration© GrandPalaisRmn (musée du Louvre) / Adrien Didierjean / Mathieu Rabeau-jpg
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre in Paris have revealed Eugène Delacroix's freshly conserved and iconic La Liberté guidant le peuple. The conservation project, the first since 1949, was undertaken by Bénédicte Trémolières and Laurence Mugniot and consisted mostly of removed old yellowed varnish. Apparently, this has led to many new perspectives on the work, including the fact that Liberty's tunic is mostly grey and not uniformly yellow.
The work will be on display again to the public in the Mollien Room from 2nd May 2024.
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As mentioned previously, it is very impressive that the Louvre, a museum which has famously resisted restoring many of its works of art, is apparently looking afresh at this tradition. The benefits, if undertaken in a restrained and considered way, can be outstanding. However, the cleaning of a picture can also make you look at it in an entirely different way - I cannot see Fragonard's The Swing in the same light after its cleaning back in 2021, for example. I know that there was a conference on the subject of conservation in the museum a few weeks ago but I missed it, alas.
18th Century Watermelon Regatta Conserved in Florida
April 26 2024
Video: fox13news.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
New from the The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Florida that an 18th century painting known as The Watermelon Regatta has been conserved. The work had been gifted to the gallery by the museum's first Director but had never been in display due to its poor condition. It will be on display in the galleries until later in May.
Restored Paintings from Notre-Dame on Display
April 24 2024
Picture: mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A major exhibition has opened today at the Mobilier National in Paris, focusing on restored works from the fire-damaged Cathedral of Notre-Dame. The show features 21 large-scale paintings which have been conserved and presented to the public. This includes 10 of the 'great Mays' which were commissioned by the city's goldsmiths in the 17th and 18th centuries and later donated to the cathedral. Artists represented include Laurent de La Hyre, Aubin Vouet, Charles Le Brun and Eustache Le Sueur.
The display will continue until 21st July 2024.
