Category: Conservation
Chartwell's Duke of Marlborough Portrait Conserved and Redisplayed
March 1 2025
Picture: The Art Newspaper
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Newspaper has shared news that a portrait of the Duke of Marlborough has been conserved and redisplayed for the first time. The painting, in the collection at Chartwell which is run by the National Trust, was given to Sir Winston Churchill in 1942 but its poor condition meant that it was never hung. Click on the link to read more.
Prado Conserve Velázquez's Queen Elisabeth of France
February 28 2025
Picture: Prado
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news from Spain that the Prado Museum have conserved Diego Velázquez's Equestrian Portrait of Queen Elisabeth of France. Painted in 1635, the work was part of a set of equestrian portraits which were all given rather unsightly vertical canvas extensions during their early lives. The cleaning of the painting was undertaken by the conservator María Álvarez Garcillán. Click here for a very beautiful high-res image which you can zoom into till your heart's content.
Portland Art Museum clean their Monet
February 28 2025
Picture: Portland Art Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
More exciting conservation news (it must be the season for it, I suppose!) that the Portland Museum of Art have conserved their Waterlilies (1914-15) by Claude Monet. As you can see, the return of those fresh colours (which appeared incredibly dull before) makes absolutely all the difference.
The freshly cleaned painting will be a part of a new display at the museum, focusing on the conservation project, which opens tomorrow (1st March) and runs until 10th August 2025.
Waddesdon Discover Painted Frame on Trompe L'Oeil
February 27 2025
Picture: @WMCurators
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Curators of Waddesdon Manor have shared rather interesting news on 'X' that a painted frame was uncovered by conservators working on a late 18th century French Trompe L'Oeil in their collection. This painted illusion had apparently been covered by a real wooden frame (some people, eh?) which has now been removed and is on display in the manor's Blue Dressing Room. Click on the link to see better images.
Mantegna Reframed at Castello Sforzesco
February 27 2025
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Andrea Mantegna's Trivulzio Altarpiece, one of the prized possessions of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, has been reframed and redisplayed. The carved and gilded historic setting, which dates to the late 19th century, had been removed from the painting after the war in favour of a more sober configuration. The project to regroup and restore the frame had begun back in 2023 and was undertaken by Luca Quartana Restauri.
Fra Angelico's Deposition of Christ Restored
February 26 2025
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that Fra Angelico's Deposition of Christ, one of the masterpieces of the Museo di San Marco in Florence, has been conserved. The project, which lasted approximately 2 years, was undertaken by Lucia Biondi (paintings conservator) and Roberto Buda (panel conservator).
Jordaens to be conserved in open studio at Snijders&Rockox House
February 19 2025
Picture: codart.nl
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
CODART (the international network of curators of Dutch and Flemish art) has shared news that Jacob Jordaens' Christ and the Fishermen will be conserved in an open studio at the Snijders&Rockox House in Antwerp over the next few months. The picture is usual on display at the city's Sint-Jacobskerk and will be on display in the museum until the end of the year.
Restored 'Botticelli' Teased before Redisplay in Naples
February 18 2025
Picture: ilcorrierino.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Regular readers might remember a story from November 2023 regarding the rediscovery of a lost 'Botticelli' by the Italian police. The painting (left) was found in a private home in Naples and had at the time been connected to a work which went missing from Santa Maria delle Grazie over half a century ago. The Italian press (spotted via. @Mweilc) have just shared very blurry images of the now-restored work (right) before it goes on display in an unspecified museum in Naples. The work was undertaken by Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. More news and photos when they appear...
Tintoretto's Crucifixion Unveiled after Conservation Project
February 17 2025
Picture: savevenice.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Venice that Tintoretto's famous Crucifixion for the Scuola Grande di San Rocco has been unveiled to the public after a long restoration project. Discoveries made during treatment include evidence that the artist used complex grids to organise the spatial relationships between figures. Click here to read more from the organisation Save Venice on the specifics of the project.
Restoration Studio assembled in Museo di Capodimonte
February 17 2025
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museo di Capodimonte in Naples is the latest museum to set up a conservation studios in their galleries to allow visitors to peer in to the process of restoring pictures. The project will examine roughly twenty works mostly from the Bourbon collection from the 14th - 16th centuries. Click on the link above to find out which works will be included.
Courtauld scan reveals figure under Picasso
February 13 2025
Picture: courtauld.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Courtauld Institute in London has shared news that x-ray and infra-red scans undertaken within its conservation studios have revealed a figure (or 'mystery woman') underneath Pablo Picasso's 1901 Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto.
According to the institute's website:
Conducted in collaboration with the Oskar Reinhart Collection, ‘Am Römerholz’, Switzerland, the unknown artwork was discovered when The Courtauld took x-ray and infrared images of Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto – a portrait depicting Picasso’s sculptor friend painted in 1901 and one of the earliest examples of the artist’s Blue Period – ahead of its display as part of the upcoming The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Goya to Impressionism. Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection, opening 14 February.
The Courtauld’s analysis of the painting reveals it played an important role at a crucial stage in the young Picasso’s stylistic development, at a time when he was moving away from colourful, Impressionistic paintings towards a distinctly more melancholy artistic style which became the defining phase of his career known as his Blue Period.
Portrait found underneath Ecce Homo
February 10 2025
Picture: news.artnet.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnet have published a rather interesting news story regarding a piece of scientific research undertaken on an Ecce Homo by the Andreas Pittas Art Characterization Laboratories in Cyprus. Surprisingly, x-ray results have shown that the composition, a version of Titian's famous Ecce Homo (or Christ Shown to the People) of c.1565-70 which exists in Saint Louis and the Prado, was painted on top of a portrait.
The question remains as to why this occurred and how this affects its dating (although, I think costume historians will be able to work out what has happened here with relative ease), yet, according to the article:
Bakirtzis [APAC director Nikolas Bakirtzis] added that Titian effectively painted the new composition directly onto the portrait, which he said, “points to an experienced, confident artistic hand.”
The tone of the two paintings is markedly different. One is a portrait of an unknown professional man, and the other is a narrative scene from a known episode from the passions of Christ.
“They were intended for different clients and audiences. Unfortunately, this is as far as we can go until further research allows us to either identify the depicted man or we find ways to date the paintings,” Bakirtzis said. “We cannot really estimate how much earlier the first painting is. Any suggestion remains hypothetical and based on stylistic observations.”
The painting and results are on display at the Limassol Municipal Arts Center in Cyprus until 10th March 2025, in case you'd like to go and have a look for yourselves.
Louvre Conserves Van Dyck's Charles I
February 7 2025
Picture: Louvre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
C2RMF (Center And Search Restoration Musées De France) have published an article on the recent restoration of Van Dyck's Charles I à la chasse. The article features a brief history of the various campaigns of restoration in the past, followed by some nice zoomable images.
As it happens, I was lecturing in Paris this week and was blown away by the freshness of the colours. What a striking difference compared to its appearance in the RA's Charles I exhib back in 2017.
On the Same Wavelength: Art, Science and Conservation at the Nasher Museum of Art
February 5 2025
Picture: today.duke.edu
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Nasher Museum of Art in Durham, North Carolina, have just opened an interesting sounding exhibition entitled On the Same Wavelength: Art, Science and Conservation.
According to the website linked above:
Technical art history brings together art historians, conservators and scientists to gain deeper insights into works of art and the methods and intentions of their makers. A new exhibit opening Jan. 30 at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke, “On the Same Wavelength: Art, Science and Conservation,” explores the challenges and many accomplishments of these efforts.
Using microscopes, specialized cameras, scanners, and different wavelengths of light, the team examined objects from the Nasher Museum’s permanent collection, ranging from ancient American ceramics to a contemporary artwork made from found plastic.
Through the ever-evolving lens of technical art history, On the Same Wavelength presents the discoveries about these objects’ materials, original uses, and the techniques used to create them. This exhibition also highlights the role of the museum in navigating challenges related to an object’s condition, display and evolution over time because of aging and conservation.
The show will run until 22nd June 2025.
US Embassy in Paris sends George Washington to be Conserved
February 4 2025
Picture: US Embassy, Paris
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The US Embassy in Paris is sending their portrait of George Washington to France’s Center for Research and Restoration of Museum of France (C2RMF) to be conserved. According to the article linked above, when the painting was bequeathed to the US State Department in 1989 it was believed to be a straightforward copy. Only when technical analysis was undertaken in 2022 was it declared a work by Charles Willson Peale in full.
A New Renaissance for the Louvre
January 30 2025
Picture: NBC News
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
There has been a lot of coverage in the press recently regarding President Macron's announcements regarding the future of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The headline stories of the announcements are expansions to deal with increased visitor numbers, a new separate home for the Mona Lisa, and increased entrance fees for non-EU visitors (ie. British visitors will have to pay more for entry).
Royal Collection conserve Elizabeth I Allegory
January 16 2025
Picture: Royal Collection Trust
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Royal Collection Trust has shared news on Instagram of the recent* conservation of Hans Eworth's Elizabeth I and the Three Goddesses. The results are rather pleasing, as you can see above.
* - Alas, I can't work out exactly how recently though!
Conservation Tours of St Bartholomew's Hospital
January 13 2025
Video: St Bartholomew's Hospital
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
St Bartholomew's Hospital in London are running a limited number of Conservation Tours during the end of January, showing visitors the current progress of work. The tour includes going up on a scaffold, including some insights into the conservation of Hogarth's famous paintings on the staircases. The tours cost £11.55 to attend.
According to the description of the tours:
Join us on this tour to explore the rich history, architecture and people involved in the craftsmanship of the James Gibbs' Great Hall. The tour will highlight the conservation work to rescue and rejuvenate the Grade 1 listed building, including the staircase decorated by William Hogarth.
Get an insider's look at the conservation and restoration work being done to protect this historically significant building.
Please note, this tour involves accessing a scaffolding viewing deck. There are 31 steps on the staircase to reach the deck. The paintings in the Hogarth staircase are partially obstructed by scaffolding as our Conservation Team work on them.
Leonardo's Sala delle Asse Fresco to be Restored by 2026
January 6 2025
Picture: Wikipedia
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that a restoration project on Leonardo da Vinci's frescos for the Sala delle Asse at Castello Sforzesco in Milan are in the final preparation stages. The final donations to reach the 914,925.25 EUR required to complete the work are being raised. It is hoped that the conservation treatment will be completed in time for the Winter Olympics in February 2026.
Luca Signorelli's Saint Cecilia Altarpiece Conserved
January 6 2025
Video: Retesole TV Umbria
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Luca Signorelli's Saint Cecilia Altarpiece, one of the star attractions of Pinacoteca comunale di Città di Castello, has been conserved and redisplayed to the public.
