Conservation around the Millennium (Hungarian National Museum, 2001)
Pages - 43
RESTORATION OF A RENAISSANCE FRESCO CYCLE IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS Mariann Hoós-Éva Somos-lstván Bóna The restoration of three connected, large, detached wall paintings was completed in 1998 and 1999 within the frames of large-scale fresco reconstruction project of the Museum of Fine Arts. The wall paintings, which have also been cited in different publications, were included in the permanent exhibition of the museum, although the poor condition they showed largely decreased their full appreciation and study. HISTORICAL DATA The three large frescoes (each covers a surface of about 10 m2) ornamented the castle of Ghedi near Brescia in Italy, which was raised by the owner Niccolo Orsini around 1506. The wall paintings depict significant scenes from the prominent mercenary leader’s life. Niccolo Orsini is the main figure in all the three paintings, to whom his high-ranked employers symbolically hand over banners: 1489 Pope Innocent VIII; 1494 Anfonso II King of Naples; 1504 Agostino Barbarigo Doge of Venice. The painter and the date of the painting of the frescoes has been debated by art historians. According to the generally accepted theory they are early paintings by Girolamo Romanino from the period between 1506 and 1509. The badly damaged palace of Ghedi had to be pulled down in 1843, but the also badly damaged frescoes were judged to be worth rescuing. Detaching, which demanded great technical knowledge, was carried out by Giovanni Battista Speri, who had already gained fame by similar accomplishments. Speri mounted the detached frescoes onto canvas. The frescoes preserved in scrolls were bought by Károly Pulszky from Achille Glisenti art dealer in 1895 for the collection of the National Gallery. CONDITION PRIOR TO RESTORATION The wall paintings had severely been damaged by the time they were detached. During detaching, however careful the operation was, further damages, impressions, folds developed on the art objects. The paintings were folded and scrolled. Large gaps appeared along the folded edges. Detaching was made with the so-called “strappo" technique, where the paint layers are torn off from the plaster surface with the help of glued canvas. The technique typically often “halves” the paint layers, which means that some of the paint is torn off but some, sometimes at least as much, stays on the wall. The problems is that at some places all of it stays on the wall. These gaps are hidden with glue mixed with the colours that resemble the most the ones in the painting. The traces of this technique can be detected in the paintings at several spots. In a curious way, G. B. Speri used a soot containing substance to treat the backsides. The dark colour of this substance showed through the more worn paint layers, and in result the general hue of the frescoes shifted toward black. We can only guess the reason why he used this substance. 43
