Peter Paul Biro
~Fine Art Restoration

    & Forensic studies in Art

Ghirlandaio

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Ridolfo di Ghirlandaio (1483-1561): Madonna and Child 
tempera on wood.

The photographs of the restoration of this panel painting serve well to demonstrate the value of special techniques in photography. Both infrared and ultraviolet radiation can be used to reveal valuable information about the history of interventions to this painting. Infrared radiation, because of its relatively longer wavelength, has the tendency to penetrate through the painted surface revealing the preparatory drawing. Ultraviolet techniques have the benefit of revealing small differences in reflectivity and fluorescence of materials thus helping in detecting alterations and later additions to a painting. The restoration of this panel was a long and painstaking process due to the complexity of many previous restorations.
 
 

Normal light photograph of the painting. Infrared photograph before cleaning. The underdrawing is quite evident on the panel. Ultraviolet fluorescence photograph showing uneven vanishing. The bright vertical bar is the beginning of the cleaning process.
This ultraviolet reflectance photograph demonstrates further the different varnishes. The oldest layer is fairly transparent, a newer synthetic varnish appears almost black. The panel was once broken in two and crudely glued and joined. The old retouching was peeling off and filling material falling away from the surface. Following several months of delicate work the painting is free of the many layers of overpainting that obscured its original beauty.

Your comments and inquiries are invited and much appreciated. Please leave a note at artsleuth@sympatico.ca

 
 


 

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Last revision: April 16, 2008