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DOI Artikel:Wodzińska, Maria; Botticelli, Sandro [Ill.]: Technical analysis of a painting ascribed to Botticelli
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18864#0117
Maria Wodzińska
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF A PAINTING ASCRIBED TO BOTTICELLI
Since 1945, the National Museum in Warsaw bas been in possession of a tondo associated
with the circle of Botticelli. Tlie painting had not been treated in the Museum until 1977, but
bore traces of several restorations carried before 1945: a thick layer of varnishes that had
turned yellow and darkened retouchings. The accumulated layers of repaints and varnishes
completely distorted the colour scheme of the painting and rid its aesthetic effect of the sub-
tleties resulting from the lower layers showing through the layers of the epidermis. This had
so impoverished the expression of the work that the master's band was not recognized (f igs. 1, III).
Technological investigation, carried before and during the restoration of the tondo brought
out results which — compared with evidence obtained from the study of the other paintings
by Botticelli — made it possible to discover the technical characteristics of his art in the
"Warsaw picture. Once the layers of repaints and varnishes had been removed, the masterly
workmanship, typical of Botticelli, became evident.
The technical structure of the painting
The panel consists of six poplar planks sized together along the grain. Traces of the original
reinforcement of the panel cannot be seen as a result of protective layers added later on. Most
probably, the panel was not reinforced by means of slats and originally the only protcction
of the reverse was a layer of gesso, at the same timc, filling the inequalities in the rough wooden
surface.
The ground on the face: wbite, turned yellow on the surface, made of gesso, ca. 0.4 mm
thick, most probably multi-layered.
The drawing of the architectural background was engraved in the ground with a thin burin;
elsewhere the outlines in uninterrupted line were painted with a thin brush, with black water
colour. In several areas the artist's pentimenti can be seen: on St. John's cloak (near the neck
and on the arm), on the Virgin Mary's shawl and on the white book; likcwise, several minutę
shifts in the drawing can be observed.
Egg tempera was laid in several layers, ranging from one to four; various methods were
employed, leading to a highly varied cxpression of each coloured detail, depending not so much
on the wealth of the colour scheme as on the masterly interrelation and interpretation of col-
ours and textures. The artist used a very limited number of pigments: two bluc pigments —
azurite and natural ultramarine, organie red, iron yellow, copper green, ochres, lead white,
vegetable black and powdered gold. The pigments were laid in layers of varying thickness,
which led to various effects and tones obtained by the intensity of pure colour, thick and
covering or thin and semi-transparent, harmonizing with the colour of the ground, or blended
with white, or darkened by means of other colour or black on the surface, or, more rarely,
blended with black or other pigments. Most usually, homogeneous, covering coloured under-
lays were used, and their effects were employed in various ways when surface layers were laid.
103
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF A PAINTING ASCRIBED TO BOTTICELLI
Since 1945, the National Museum in Warsaw bas been in possession of a tondo associated
with the circle of Botticelli. Tlie painting had not been treated in the Museum until 1977, but
bore traces of several restorations carried before 1945: a thick layer of varnishes that had
turned yellow and darkened retouchings. The accumulated layers of repaints and varnishes
completely distorted the colour scheme of the painting and rid its aesthetic effect of the sub-
tleties resulting from the lower layers showing through the layers of the epidermis. This had
so impoverished the expression of the work that the master's band was not recognized (f igs. 1, III).
Technological investigation, carried before and during the restoration of the tondo brought
out results which — compared with evidence obtained from the study of the other paintings
by Botticelli — made it possible to discover the technical characteristics of his art in the
"Warsaw picture. Once the layers of repaints and varnishes had been removed, the masterly
workmanship, typical of Botticelli, became evident.
The technical structure of the painting
The panel consists of six poplar planks sized together along the grain. Traces of the original
reinforcement of the panel cannot be seen as a result of protective layers added later on. Most
probably, the panel was not reinforced by means of slats and originally the only protcction
of the reverse was a layer of gesso, at the same timc, filling the inequalities in the rough wooden
surface.
The ground on the face: wbite, turned yellow on the surface, made of gesso, ca. 0.4 mm
thick, most probably multi-layered.
The drawing of the architectural background was engraved in the ground with a thin burin;
elsewhere the outlines in uninterrupted line were painted with a thin brush, with black water
colour. In several areas the artist's pentimenti can be seen: on St. John's cloak (near the neck
and on the arm), on the Virgin Mary's shawl and on the white book; likcwise, several minutę
shifts in the drawing can be observed.
Egg tempera was laid in several layers, ranging from one to four; various methods were
employed, leading to a highly varied cxpression of each coloured detail, depending not so much
on the wealth of the colour scheme as on the masterly interrelation and interpretation of col-
ours and textures. The artist used a very limited number of pigments: two bluc pigments —
azurite and natural ultramarine, organie red, iron yellow, copper green, ochres, lead white,
vegetable black and powdered gold. The pigments were laid in layers of varying thickness,
which led to various effects and tones obtained by the intensity of pure colour, thick and
covering or thin and semi-transparent, harmonizing with the colour of the ground, or blended
with white, or darkened by means of other colour or black on the surface, or, more rarely,
blended with black or other pigments. Most usually, homogeneous, covering coloured under-
lays were used, and their effects were employed in various ways when surface layers were laid.
103