These paintings are in danger. All three have been corrupted, some in ways that are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye.
Can you guess how they have changed?
You may be surprised. When museum curators examined the portrait, attributed to the 16th-century Italian painter Bronzino, they suspected it was a modern fake.
However, upon closer inspection of the cracks in its surface, an art conservator discovered that it dates back to that time—it has undergone drastic changes in recent centuries.
Using X-ray technology,
they peered beneath the outer surface of the paint and saw the face of a completely different woman. Essential parts of the painting were modified during the 19th century restoration.
Before the mid-20th century, art restorers adopted a more heavy-handed approach, often believing that they were improving art. Nowadays, they focus on maintaining the original work with minimal interference.
When they need to fix something,
they usually make their marks visually and chemically indistinguishable from the original, so they can be removed without damage.
But the work of past restorers is a risk they regularly face—as was the case with this portrait. To restore the original, the conservator began by removing the outer varnish coat. Varnishes are commonly used to protect paintings from scratches and make their colors shine.
But the natural varnish applied by past restorers eventually turned black, which is what gives old paintings that old, yellow look. Slowly dissolving the varnish, the conservator exposed the crisp colors underneath.
Taking small samples from the additional and original paint layers, they analyzed the composition of each. Then, they decided which solvents could dissolve the most painting while least affecting the original.
Carefully pressing the canvas against them,
they removed the graceful hands and idealized face of the overpainting. The original painting below depicts Isabella of the Italian Medici family.
The portrait is not by Bronzino, but dates from around 1570, and may have been painted by one of his pupils. Its Victorian makeover was likely done to boost sales as the original subject matter was not considered attractive. But now, Isabella is back, meeting her viewers' gaze directly.
This painting, "An Allegory with Venus and Cupid" is actually by Bronzino, and was completed around 1545. It centers on the kiss between Venus and her son Cupid—but is subtly altered.
When London's National Gallery acquired it in 1860,
the gallery's director deemed it too dangerous for Victorian England. So, he hired a restorer to obscure Venus's tongue and nipple.
A century after this modification, art conservators analyzed and removed most of the painting with selected solvents. In the process, they also realized that the veil covering Venus's crotch and the branch covering Cupid's back were other extras.
With two layers of censorship removed from the painting, it was finally free to boast its provocative original details. This large painting called "The Night Watch" was completed by Rembrandt in 1642.
Since then, it has endured a dramatic amputation, two stabbings, an acid attack and centuries of filth. A museum guard quickly neutralized the acid with water.
Restorers picked up the dirt,
revealing that the painting had not been set overnight, and repaired the slashes using adhesive and additional canvas backing. But they faced an even more difficult problem.
In 1715, strips were removed from all sides of the canvas, including the entire two feet on the left side, to fit inside Amsterdam's town hall. They have been missing ever since.
But a multi-year conservation project that began in 2019 replaced the missing pieces. They managed this by training artificial intelligence to digitally paint in Rembrandt's style.
Then, using another artist's rendering of the original,
the program recreated and printed the missing parts of the painting. Finally, the team returned "The Night's Watch" to its full size with AI-generated best guesses to fill in the blanks.
All of these paintings were altered, but none of them were irreparably ruined. With painstaking scientific analysis and technical expertise, art conservators immortalize priceless artifacts.
They deal with sudden damage and creeping threats—and sometimes, they perform near-miracles. This video is made possible in collaboration with Marriott Hotels.
With more than 590 hotels and resorts worldwide, Marriott Hotels celebrates the curiosity that drives us to travel.
Comments
Post a Comment