Műtárgyvédelem, 2006 (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum)
Összefoglalók
Original copies Two contemporary copies of Cima da Conegliano’s painting in the Museum of Fine Arts Anna Vihart Two paintings in the Old Gallery of the Museum of Fine Arts of Budapest are workshop copies made of Cima da Conegliano Venetian master’s same picture. The contemporary copy inv. no. 98, which had been prepared around 1500, was restored in the Institute for Training of Conservators of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in 2004-2005. The copy inv. no. 1247, which was painted by Anton Maria da Carpi, can be seen in the permanent exhibition. The author of the report restored the panel depicting Mary with the Infant in 2004-2005. János László Pyrker donated the painting of the unknown master to the museum in 1839 in the belief that it was Cima da Conegliano’s work. The painting is a free copy after Cima da Conegliano’s composition. The original one has been preserved in two versions both painted by the master. Many compositions were made of the theme of Mary and the Infant in Cima’s workshop both by the master and his apprentices, and many of them were variations of Cima’s original compositions. A series of contemporary copies were made of the two original paintings. One of the nicest copies is in a private collection in Milan, another one can be found in the Museo Civico Treviso and two workshop copies are owned by the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. Cima worked with skilled apprentices beside simple assistants. This led to the creation of works of diverse qualities, which can be observed in Cima’s oeuvre. His workshop was successful and his works were well-known. The panel of the unknown artist in Budapest was probably repeatedly restored. The entire surface of the painting was overpainted, which was removed in the course of restoration in the 1880’s. Former interventions included, among others, the thinning of the wooden panel and the addition of a system of sliding braces. The flaked pigment layer was luted, retouched and the crocodiled surfaces were ironed back. A uniform strongly yellowed varnish layer covered the picture at the start of restoration and, according to the luminescent photos, numerous retouches could be found on the surface of the painting. After total uncovering we found that the painting had significantly deteriorated, the pigment layer had flaked off and perished at a number of places and it also emerged that the painting had perhaps intentionally been damaged. The largest loss was observed on Mary’s blue robe. The regular shape implies that it was a mechanical injury. Apart from the shoulder and the lower end, only a few vague lines of the folds have been preserved from the blue drapery, and the direction of the stroke of the brush could be observed. The completion of this part of the painting raised problems. Is it justified to replace the losses and if so how and to what measure? The composition of the retouched panel is known in several versions. The designs and the pictorial solutions of the two original paintings and the copies made in the workshop are very similar to this panel. The analysis made with the help of a computer has demonstrated that the movement and the folds of the 186
