16th century German painter: The
Crucified Christ,
Oil on panel transferred to canvas, 36.5 x 46 cm.
One of the great enemies of paintings on
wood is worming. This painting had its support of wood
literally eaten to the point that it could not provide a
viable support for the painted layer any longer. In
addition, the panel was broken in two and both sections
warped differently after a previous repair. A complex and
time consuming procedure known as 'transferring' was
carried out. During this intervention the old wooden
support was slowly removed until nothing but the paint
layer remained. With the application of adhesive a new
canvas support was attached that will provide adequate
mechanical support for the paint layer for many years to
come. Once accomplished, the painting was safely cleaned.
Both the the effects of worming and many previous
abrasions became visible. Missing areas were filled and
retouched and a final application of varnish completed
the long restoration process.
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