Very interesting. It's so wonderful to see the diversity of employees (i.e. from various European countries) at the gallery, it seems that the UK (well, London at least) is still considered a desirable place to live and work despite... well, you know.
Isn't it amazing how they could paint a sheen on the satin fabrics? I don't know why that always impresses me. To see the difference between various fabrics. Because their fabrics were so rich and valuable anyway. Orazio has a long list of works on Wikimedia. Beautiful work.
Did I miss if the restoration is complete? The painting looks dull in comparison to the Prado's version. I hope they have more to do, like at least a final over-varnish.
It will likely be varnished with a varnish that is both removable without damaging the painting if conservation in the future us necessary, that will prevent UV light to damage the painting, and to return it to a sheen that would be close to that of what the original varnish would have looked like when it was varnished by the artist.
I really enjoyed this episode but a little confused. Has the blue in the sky been restored to the original colour when painted or has it been restored to the colour of the work as it had changed due to the passage of time? I only ask because earlier in this episode the presenter talking about the painting and honouring it's history then sympathetically restoring it Loved the episode it was engaging & fascinating Thank you
The conservators don’t change the colour of the painting. That goes against the ethics of conservation. They do, however, remove dirt and varnish and previous insensitive retouching done previously. Many varnishes applied either by the painter or in previous restorations start to discolour almost as soon as they are applied. Over centuries, they can completely obscure elements of the original painting. Also, generations of smoky rooms, fireplace smoke and tobacco smoke and dirt and dust can discolour the surface. Conservators use ultra-violet light and other methods to identify areas of overpainting. Testing samples of the painting can identify original paint used at the period can identify areas that have been repainted over time or that they know would have chemically changed or deteriorated over the aging of the painting. Previous retouching that could include repainting larger areas than necessary using materials that are not conservation-quality of current standards are removed and archival pigments that can be removed at a later date are used in the retouching. Sometimes the removal of yellowed varnish and dirt significantly changes a painting, bringing it back to a state that we haven’t seen it in generations.
Super interesting! What a labour of love for art!
Absolutely fascinating, your presentation is so clear and it is really lovely to hear from such wonderful experts.
Thank you for watching!
Very interesting! Conservators are the unsung heroes of art!
It was so enjoyable to learn about this painting as well as all the work involved in its restoration. Thank you!
The technical insights offered by the conservationist experts in this video are so invaluable!!❤❤
Amazing video, thank you all so much for sharing your efforts and passion
Nicely done!
another stunner.
Very interesting. It's so wonderful to see the diversity of employees (i.e. from various European countries) at the gallery, it seems that the UK (well, London at least) is still considered a desirable place to live and work despite... well, you know.
Isn't it amazing how they could paint a sheen on the satin fabrics? I don't know why that always impresses me. To see the difference between various fabrics. Because their fabrics were so rich and valuable anyway. Orazio has a long list of works on Wikimedia. Beautiful work.
Did I miss if the restoration is complete? The painting looks dull in comparison to the Prado's version. I hope they have more to do, like at least a final over-varnish.
It will likely be varnished with a varnish that is both removable without damaging the painting if conservation in the future us necessary, that will prevent UV light to damage the painting, and to return it to a sheen that would be close to that of what the original varnish would have looked like when it was varnished by the artist.
I really enjoyed this episode but a little confused.
Has the blue in the sky been restored to the original colour when painted or has it been restored to the colour of the work as it had changed due to the passage of time?
I only ask because earlier in this episode the presenter talking about the painting and honouring it's history then sympathetically restoring it
Loved the episode it was engaging & fascinating
Thank you
The conservators don’t change the colour of the painting. That goes against the ethics of conservation. They do, however, remove dirt and varnish and previous insensitive retouching done previously. Many varnishes applied either by the painter or in previous restorations start to discolour almost as soon as they are applied. Over centuries, they can completely obscure elements of the original painting. Also, generations of smoky rooms, fireplace smoke and tobacco smoke and dirt and dust can discolour the surface. Conservators use ultra-violet light and other methods to identify areas of overpainting. Testing samples of the painting can identify original paint used at the period can identify areas that have been repainted over time or that they know would have chemically changed or deteriorated over the aging of the painting.
Previous retouching that could include repainting larger areas than necessary using materials that are not conservation-quality of current standards are removed and archival pigments that can be removed at a later date are used in the retouching.
Sometimes the removal of yellowed varnish and dirt significantly changes a painting, bringing it back to a state that we haven’t seen it in generations.
Such a lot of work. I bet it was more time than Orazio spent creating his commission. But maybe not. It is a large painting for sure...
I wonder if Moses' mum is clothed in the second version due to the Catholic sensibilities of the Spanish court.