DOI Heft:
Nr. 4
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#0126
edge, several smali mechanical damages appeared, such as scratches, dents and smal] losses.
Some of tliem are covered with a second, certainly not original layer of wax and resin, browned
and laid unevenly and with smears. Another unoriginal protection is two oak slats fixed across
the grain of the wood of the panel, in two metal clasps screwed to the reverse.
On the face, both the extensive and smali losses in the painted layers do not exceed alto-
gether 10% of the surface (fig. II)- Some of them reach as deep as the ground, most of them,
however, appear in the surface layers only. They are concentrated: on the figurę of St. John
(the head, the torso and the right arm), and in the background above those figures in which
the abrasion of the epidermis damaged, to a large degree, the nimbuses; on the smali white
cupboard and the book and along the join described formerly. In the remaining parts losses
are smali and rare. The prevalent positions of cracks, unevenly spread in various coloured parts,
are horizontal and vertical. The examination of the retouchings covering the losses in the paint
has revealed that the painting was subject to two former restorations and that the latest oil
retouchings, which were laid probably within a smali span of time, but not at the same time,
served as a correction of the former and filled the latest, smali losses. Those formerly done
were likewise carried in oil technique and covered broadly losses and the original painting in
the vicinity of the damage. At this stage, a faulty leconstruction of a detail of St. John's nose
(appcaring within a damaged area) was carried, which consisted in the addition of the left
nostril, not visible in this position of the head (fig. 1). The expression of the mouth was likewise
altered and deformed. The oldest retouchings, carried in tempera techniąue, with vertical
strokes, lay in most cases within the limits of damage with the exception of minutę chips that
were covered too extensively. Both those and the later, oil retouchings have changed their
colour and gone dark (fig. 4, III).
The fact that there was no original varnish under the oldest, more widely spread retouch-
ings ■— except the very thin layer shining on the surface — proves that all the yellowed
layers of varnish covering the whole painting were not original. Only in the green details of the
angeFs wings is there a distinct layer of very much yellowed original oil yarnish, laid specially
on the areas under discussion, most probably in order to obtain a warmer tone and, as regards
the green areas — to protect the mossy surface against the mechanical abrasion of the grains
of pigment.
The programme of restoration included the removal of all the unoriginal accretions, the
protection of the face and the stippling of all the losses, in purely resin techniąue, which is
very easy to remove and secures sufficient durability of the colour and character of the surface
eimilar to the original. While stippling, paint was laid so as to imitate the method in which it had
been laid originally in the area surrounding a loss.
On the reverse, the unoriginal protective layers have been retained because of their role
in the stabilization of the movements of the panel. Fissures and deeper losses on the reverse
were filled with a mixture of wax and wood flour.
To remove the resin coatings and oil retouchings on the face, several combinations of sol-
vents have been tested, and finally acetone has been chosen, its action stopped by turpentine.
Tempera retouchings were cleaned mechanically.
Once the face had been cleaned completely from the layer accretions, the stratiform structure
of the painting, disclosed in a number of areas, enabled the correction and completion of the
results of the introductory investigation. Old mastic fillings have been improved and minor
abrasions on their surface have been complemented with new chalk-and-distemper mastics,
the new mastics have been covered with a thin layer of shellac and then the whole surface
varnished with a thin layer of dammer varnish. Imitating stippling was performed with paints
produced by the Italian firm F.lli Maimeri and Co. The reconstruction of the missing details
112
Some of tliem are covered with a second, certainly not original layer of wax and resin, browned
and laid unevenly and with smears. Another unoriginal protection is two oak slats fixed across
the grain of the wood of the panel, in two metal clasps screwed to the reverse.
On the face, both the extensive and smali losses in the painted layers do not exceed alto-
gether 10% of the surface (fig. II)- Some of them reach as deep as the ground, most of them,
however, appear in the surface layers only. They are concentrated: on the figurę of St. John
(the head, the torso and the right arm), and in the background above those figures in which
the abrasion of the epidermis damaged, to a large degree, the nimbuses; on the smali white
cupboard and the book and along the join described formerly. In the remaining parts losses
are smali and rare. The prevalent positions of cracks, unevenly spread in various coloured parts,
are horizontal and vertical. The examination of the retouchings covering the losses in the paint
has revealed that the painting was subject to two former restorations and that the latest oil
retouchings, which were laid probably within a smali span of time, but not at the same time,
served as a correction of the former and filled the latest, smali losses. Those formerly done
were likewise carried in oil technique and covered broadly losses and the original painting in
the vicinity of the damage. At this stage, a faulty leconstruction of a detail of St. John's nose
(appcaring within a damaged area) was carried, which consisted in the addition of the left
nostril, not visible in this position of the head (fig. 1). The expression of the mouth was likewise
altered and deformed. The oldest retouchings, carried in tempera techniąue, with vertical
strokes, lay in most cases within the limits of damage with the exception of minutę chips that
were covered too extensively. Both those and the later, oil retouchings have changed their
colour and gone dark (fig. 4, III).
The fact that there was no original varnish under the oldest, more widely spread retouch-
ings ■— except the very thin layer shining on the surface — proves that all the yellowed
layers of varnish covering the whole painting were not original. Only in the green details of the
angeFs wings is there a distinct layer of very much yellowed original oil yarnish, laid specially
on the areas under discussion, most probably in order to obtain a warmer tone and, as regards
the green areas — to protect the mossy surface against the mechanical abrasion of the grains
of pigment.
The programme of restoration included the removal of all the unoriginal accretions, the
protection of the face and the stippling of all the losses, in purely resin techniąue, which is
very easy to remove and secures sufficient durability of the colour and character of the surface
eimilar to the original. While stippling, paint was laid so as to imitate the method in which it had
been laid originally in the area surrounding a loss.
On the reverse, the unoriginal protective layers have been retained because of their role
in the stabilization of the movements of the panel. Fissures and deeper losses on the reverse
were filled with a mixture of wax and wood flour.
To remove the resin coatings and oil retouchings on the face, several combinations of sol-
vents have been tested, and finally acetone has been chosen, its action stopped by turpentine.
Tempera retouchings were cleaned mechanically.
Once the face had been cleaned completely from the layer accretions, the stratiform structure
of the painting, disclosed in a number of areas, enabled the correction and completion of the
results of the introductory investigation. Old mastic fillings have been improved and minor
abrasions on their surface have been complemented with new chalk-and-distemper mastics,
the new mastics have been covered with a thin layer of shellac and then the whole surface
varnished with a thin layer of dammer varnish. Imitating stippling was performed with paints
produced by the Italian firm F.lli Maimeri and Co. The reconstruction of the missing details
112