How do we save it?
In November of 2005, more than fifty years after the IMA received the altarpiece into its collection, conservators wrote a treatment proposal that outlined plans to conserve the work through careful scientific analysis, measured and appropriate repairs, and thorough photographic documentation.
The Treatment Proposal
- Photographic documentation of condition and a written examination report detailing the extent and location of damages, including X-radiographic study of panel construction and condition and infrared reflectography study of painting technique and condition.
- Scientific analysis of painting materials and technique on microscopic samples of paint, ground and wood.
- Consolidation and reattachment of areas of buckling, lifting, cleaving and flaking paint and ground layers with appropriate adhesives.
- Possible facing of areas of the painting to provide additional security during cradle removal.
- Place the painting face down and remove the cradle with saws and chisels, weighting or clamping as needed to avoid warping of the panel after removal.
- Remove wax, glue and old repairs from the back of the panel.
- Realign the paint and ground along the splits and checks and repair with inset wedges of new wood.
- Design, fabricate and attach a new secondary support to replace the cradle.
- Remove any facings and repeat consolidation treatment, as needed, to insure that paint and ground along all splits and cracks is stable and well-attached after structural work on the panel is completed.
- Remove 1969 varnish, restorations and excess adhesives remaining on surface.
- Remove, or reduce as much as is safely possible, the remaining old, thick repaint.
- Remove existing fills, as needed.
- Apply a new brush varnish coating.
- Apply new fills in areas of loss and sculpt to proper level.
- Inpaint areas of damage.
- Final varnish.
- Photographic documentation of all phases of treatment and a written report on the methods and materials used to conserve the panel and painting.