Rūta Nazaraitė
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Madonna with baby Jesus

Conservation/restoration of the painting Madonna with Baby Jesus

Author: unknown
Dating: 17th century
Size of the painting: 19 x 16 cm
Technique: oil on panel

Owner: Zwettl monastery, Austria

 

This project helped me gain more experience in the restoration of panel paintings. I worked on this project during my study exchange semester at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. The painting was created during the 17th century, which makes it the oldest painting I have worked with up to this point. The main issue was the painting’s layer of varnish. When working on it, I encountered with the re-varnishing problem of old paintings - the emergence of crystal-like structures prevented the top layer to appear uniformly smooth.

 
 
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Matt and yellowish spots on the paint layer surface before the restoration.

Matt and yellowish spots on the paint layer surface before the restoration.

The same spots under the microscope (mag. x16)- it appeared to be a crystal-like cracked surface, which causes an uneven dispersion of light.

The same spots under the microscope (mag. x16)- it appeared to be a crystal-like cracked surface, which causes an uneven dispersion of light.

The application of new varnish layer by brush. This method, however, was unsuccessful as problematical spots remained matt. The previously applied varnish was removed and a new layer of varnish was applied using a spray gun. The final results were u

The application of new varnish layer by brush. This method, however, was unsuccessful as problematical spots remained matt. The previously applied varnish was removed and a new layer of varnish was applied using a spray gun. The final results were unsatisfactory and the varnish needed to be removed once again.

The final stage – I left the painting unvarnished and it is currently subject to further investigation. Even though I could not complete my work, I gained a deeper understanding of problems that can arise during the re-varnishing process of old pain

The final stage – I left the painting unvarnished and it is currently subject to further investigation. Even though I could not complete my work, I gained a deeper understanding of problems that can arise during the re-varnishing process of old paintings.