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 - TÓTH SÁNDOR: M S mester hat képe régi reprodukciókon

SÁNDOR TÓTH SIX PAINTINGS BY MASTER M S IN THE LIGHT OF OLD REPRODUCTIONS The study of both the reproductions and the few written references in connection with them suggests that, of the six paintings by Master M S, the Visitation and the Nativity were subjected to modifications different from those found in the case of the four paintings depicting Christ's Passion. Published in 1910, the first reproduction of the Nativity is heavily retouched, as well as being incomplete at the top. The first reproduction of the entire painting without any retouching was made in 1931. In 1937 the painting was cleaned in preparation for exhibition; as a result, the reproductions published afterwards show the forms much more clearly, yet without indicating major modifications. The Visitation was cleaned shortly after the publication of its first reproduction of a better quality (1907), which resulted in a couple of minor modifications in the lower segment of the painting, as seen from comparing it to another reproduction made in 1909. It was not until 1932 that its next recent reproduction was published, which merely recorded further deterioration in its condition. Extensive restoration and the removal of overpainting took place before 1954, resulting in major modifications in some details (Mary's cape and garment around the right arm and leg, Elizabeth's garment and headgear, the gate behind the bridge on the right). The possibility cannot be excluded that some of the modifications affected the corrections of Master M S (for example, the headgear). The paintings held in Esztergom were not reproduced before their cleaning in 1915. They were previously extensively overpainted, especially the Mount of Olives and the Resurrection. The date incorporated in the latter painting's signature, mentioned in the catalogue of an exhibition held in 1876, was not visible before the cleaning, as Tibor Gerevich, who published the first reproduction (1916) claimed later (1928). The surviving photographs reveal that the overpainting significantly modified the composition, and even affected the signature. The photographs taken after the cleaning essentially correspond to the existing condition, suggesting that, although in many instances he was unable to find intact surfaces, the restorer only carried out most inevitable modifications.