Mikó Árpád szerk.: "Magnificat anima mea Dominum" M S Mester vizitáció-képe és egykori selmecbányai főoltára (A Magyar Nemzeti Galéria kiadványai 1997/1)

TANULMÁNYOK / ESSAYS - MENRÁTH PÉTER-HERNÁDY SZILVIA: M S mester Vizitáció-képének restaurálása

ning the order of the work, we had to make sure that the process of glueing back the ground follow the processes of cleaning and taking samples for the various analyses. First the old varnish and the retouchings of György Kákay Szabó were removed from roughly half of the painted surface. Then it became possible to take paint samples for the cross-section examination and the XRD and REM analyses. Instead of the traditional method of injecting with Coletta and laying the paint with a spatula, we decided to glue both the lifted paint layer and the ground to the panel by using the acrylic resin Plextol B50Ü, dispersed in water. This was a gentler treatment, as it did not involve the use of heat or spatula, beside providing the further advantage that the more powerful adhesive lent stronger binding and greater flexibility to the painting. Where the ground was applied on fibrous material, and especially at the gilded surfaces, large areas could be fixed by injecting. The appearance of adhesive material in the cleaned craquelure indicated the spread of the conservation material, in other words it signalled the success of the operation. In the middle section of the painting the medium was injected through the weakened paint layer and ground along the small paintlosses and removed fillings. In the areas where there were no such openings, the surface was faced again. We were then able to lift the loose layers to the height of about half a millimetre. As for the craquelures, we injected the medium through the open cracks. Our technique had an advantage over the methods used in previous restorations, insofar as it produced no further fragmentation of the painted surface, or overlapping of the fragments. Thin and damaged as it may be, the original surface was uncovered in roughly 80 per cent of the gilded area. On both sides of the panel this area extends to the clearly visible scratch marks in the ground. Knowing contemporary practice, this suggests that on both sides the top part of the panel the gilded surface was originally fitted with a tracery ornamental carving. As to the blue paint traces found on the gilded surface, the cross section examinations clearly showed them to be secondary, for which reason we decided to remove them. Therefore, the surface underneath the ornamental carvings was most probably evenly gilded. In the process of cleaning the painting we removed some overpaints from Mary's blue cape. Before the restoration, this drapery made a shapless rather confusing picture. This was because, on discovering overcleaning, György Kákay Szabó became cautious and removed the overpaints only partially. The result was a rather indecipherable surface, which he then managed to unify but was unable even to attempt to interpret the full form of the original. In order to be able to separate the layers of the various overpaints, we took paint samples at a number of points on the blue drapery for microscopic examination of the cross section. From these examinations, the separation of the layers became possible. In this way the cleaning could safely be carried out. The emerging original paint layer was extremely thin. As a result of earlier incidents of overcleaning, it became apparent that the paint was applied in several layers, which is very characteristic of the master's technique. In addition to the dark modelling of the top layer, the middle tone colours originally belonging to lower layers, and occasionally the ground became visible. Mary's pink dress shows depth and it is almost undamaged. Even the finishing shades, which lend form to the drapery, are visible. Neither the thinness of the paint nor the smaller paintlosses affect its coherence. Of the entire painted surface, the part featuring Elizabeth's red cape was in the worst condition. As a result of earlier overcleaning, the brushstrokes of different direction were visible in the lower and upper layers. Shading, which was supposed to lend form to the drapery, survived only in traces in certain parts, and in some large areas, it was very thin. Clarity was further impeded by the extremely complicated underpainting, applied quite freely. However, the thinness of the paint is rather well compensated by the dark contours which survive in better condition, helping to give the drapery's convincing form. Except for the repairs around the paintlosses, we found no overpaint on the heads and the hands. The ground shows through the extremely thin, original paint laver. More definite impasto can be found only at the high lights. Despite the slight thinness of Mary's and Elizabeth's finely folded and delicately painted headdresses these remain in a similarly good condition to the heads themselves. Mary's right hand is thinned down to the underdrawing, with the contours of two of her fingers missing. The fingertips of Elizabeth's left hand are also lost. As for the landscape background and, even more so, the foliage of the foreground, which together make up a rather large area of the painting and which otherwise survived in quite good condition, here the modelling glazes thinned considerably. The deep-green shading, traces of which were found along the elongated leaves, suggests greater depth. With regard to the iris, beside the delicately and minutely executed details found on the undamaged parts, there are a number of areas where the paint layer became so thin that the ground shows through. On one of the petals, which curves upwards, the paint layer survived only in traces. The very clear contours of the roses suggests their original appearance. The flower is shown in various views: front and rear. However, the paint layer is markedly thinned, in some places right down to the ground, so that the shape of the flower is lost to such an extent that what we see is merely its imprint. Due to the good condition of the shading, the clear painting of the hills, the houses and the rocks gained