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
original layers which were luminescent to various degrees, the overpaint layer was not luminescent at all, and had a significantly different character. In the case of samples where the original layer at the bottom was extremely thin and the missing areas of the ground were brought up to level with the help of the top paint layer, it was obvious that we were dealing with an overpaint. On comparing the image taken in luminescent light with the overpaint identified on the above-mentioned sample, we found marked differences between the two, clearly indicating that we were dealing with two different overpaints. With their bright red pigments, the traces of overpaint found in the craquelure, which we examined using Xray radiography, were easily discernible even to the naked eye. To determine whether this layer is actually a third overpaint or whether it belongs to one of the two earlier discussed overpaints, we would have to carry out REM (electron microbeam probe analysis). Studying Elizabeth's cape by using XRD analysis, we determined that the main component of its colour is HgS, in other words cinnabar, with a slight amount of AsS, or realgar, being added. The FTIR spectroscope examination of the scrapings collected from the areas of modelling shades and from the contours - by comparison to the graphical records of the Getty collection's spectrum library - indicates the presence of multi-component, organic pigment, and so does the cool red underpainting of Mary's pink dress. In the interest of the accurate identification of the materials, we are continuing our consultation with the experts on pigments used in Mediaeval painting. The samples taken from the green pigment making up a considerable part of the landscape allowed the study of the original paint layers in a largely pure condition, as the overpaint here had been removed during the earlier cleaning process. The same multilayered painting technique found on the blue and red cape and the pink dress was evident on the landscape background with its different shades of green. For the deeper green tones a yellow underpaint was used, while in the case of the middle tones the underlying bright green was folowed by a layer of pure yellow, with the dark green applied on top. The XRD method failed to help identify the green colour component, which suggested the use of copper acetate or copper resinate. Since the latter substances respond amorphously to X-ray examination, this method is inadequate to show their presence. Further REM analyses are needed to determine their chemical composition. The yellow pigment consists of Pb 9 Sn0 4 the chemical composition for lead-tin yellow. The cross sectional study of the blue pigment found on the gilded background and the various gildings elsewhere clearly revealed that these had all been added during the course of a later overpainting or repair. The micro-morphological details of the blue pigment showed a similarity with the blue overpaint found both on Mary's blue dress and Elizabeth's lilac dress and shoes. In addition to examining the pigment samples, the investigation was extended to studying the fibrous material running all the way across the panel. On the basis of the comparative studies, this was found to be some kind of animal fur, most likely rabbit's hair. 10 The microscopic photographs were taken through auxiliary plates made of plaster (the so-called Rot I. plates), arranged between polarized filters at an angle of 45 degrees. The microscopic investigation of cross-sectional, radial and tangential samples taken from board No.VI revealed that limewood (Tilia sp.) had been used to construct the panel. In the case of the panels forming part of the permanent collection of the Christian Museum of Esztergom, the opportunity to collect samples arose only recently, when the restoration work on the panels' fixed wings began. The study and the evaluation of these samples are under way. Specific Techniques, Comparative Examinations Evaluating the results of the photographic, physical and chemical examinations, and summing up the conclusions drawn in the various phases of restoration, the complete analytical restoration of the Visitation panel has enabled us to outline a few ideas about the original context and circumstances of the panel. The view is, generally accepted among art historians on the basis of stylistic considerations, that the group of six paintings - the Visitation, the four panels of Christ's Passion, owned by the Christian Museum of Esztergom, and a panel of the Nativity which is held in Hontszentantal - were all made by a master whose signature "M S" can be found on the Resurrection scene. This could only be verified, if the system of examinations carried out on the Visitation, reveals on top of the basically similar elements generally observed in the practice of painters' workshops in the 15th and the 16th centuries, a number of special details uniquely characteristic of the master or the workshop. These could then be extended to all the other panels associated with the master. Using the results of this method is the only way to proceed from concluding the identical origin of the panels in the direction of the well-founded reconstruction of the altarpiece incorporating all the panels. The stylistic similarities revealed by the panels, their attribution to the same master, and even the geographical proximity of their provenance were not enough to prove their belonging to the same altarpiece. To verify this assumption, in addition to the results of the scientific examinations, we would have to observe and record certain technical details. From what is known about the panel paintings, the altar was decorated with reliefs attached to the inner
