Maria Carolina Peña Mariño
Easel Painting Conservator
The Museum of the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia has an important collection of easel paintings dating back to the 17th century. These are mainly portraits of important collegians, professors and chancellors of the University or of religious subjects. The museum, located in downtown Bogotá, is a 17th century building erected after European university cloisters, and is open for guided tours only, with the additional option of virtual tours.
Between 2017-2018 I was part of a two-member conservation team in charge of the set-up of the university museum’s paintings conservation studio, the update of the catalog and inventory of artworks and cultural objects, the survey of the collection condition and museum housekeeping procedures, the design of management, handling, display, and preventive conservation strategies, the conservation, restoration and full documentation of five easel paintings dating from the 17th to the 20th century.
Saint Gregory the Great by unknown artist. 17th century. Oil on canvas. (146,5 x 70,8 cm)
This painting was in a very fragile condition. The painted surface exhibited flaking (liftings and cupping) and extensive losses, located mainly on the mid-lower part of the image. In addition, the natural resin varnish was very discolored, opaque, and dirty, which negatively impacted the aesthetical characteristics of the painting, by flattening the image and obscuring the original chromatic values and details.
Structurally, the painting lacked a strainer or stretcher to fully support the canvas and provide adequate tension. It was glued and nailed to the back of the frame during a historical restoration campaign. In addition, it exhibited various small tears and punctures, some of which were previously treated by the addition of fabric patches to the reverse. The canvas was very dirty, especially in the mid-lower half, where there were tide-marks attesting for direct contact with moisture.
The conservation treatment greatly improved the painting's overall condition and restored its aesthetic values. It was possible to successfully consolidate and secure the paint layers in order to then proceed with the cleaning, which revealed a skillfully executed and detailed image. The painting's structure and stability were recovered by mending the tears and tensioning the canvas on a conservation stretcher. As a protective measure, a loose-lining was given to the back of the canvas to protect it from pollution and dirt. Finally, the painting was varnished, and the losses filled and retouched.
Check out the article in the Nova et Vetera Magazine to learn more about this project
Portrait of Liborio Zerda by Eugenio Zerda. 1921. Oil on canvas. (106 x 80
cm)
This painting was in a very bad state of conservation due to precarious storage conditions. Direct moisture, stacking of objects against its surface, as well as negligence and vandalism, caused canvas tears, flaking, paint losses, planar distortion and varnish discoloration. The frame was also affected, losing part of its plaster molding.
The conservation treatment had excellent results. It was possible to stabilize the painting structure by mending the tears, consolidating the flaking paint and ground layers and filling the paint losses. The cleaning and varnish removal processes restored the painting original chromatic values. Thanks to the availability of historic photographic documentation it was possible to reconstruct the image in its entirety. As a protective measure, a loose-lining was given to the back of the canvas to protect it from pollution and dirt.
"Restore, relive and revalue: an exercise of cultural heritage appropriation"
In September, month of the cultural heritage in Colombia, the Universidad del Rosario Museum unveiled the results of the conservation treatment done to the portrait of Liborio Zerda, through a colloquium held in the Historic Archives of the University.
Portrait of Andrés Maria Rosillo y Meruelo by Unknown. XIX Century. Oil on canvas. (92 x 76 cm)
The conservation treatment of this painting was very revealing because through the elimination of the overpainted cartouche was possible to read the information written in it and accurately date the painting to after 1828.
Due to the nature of the overpainted layer and its aging, in addition to the fragility of the canvas, preparation and paint layers underneath, the elimination was performed mechanically. This was very time consuming but guaranteed the stability of the artwork without producing any damage to the letters written on the cartouche.
In addition to this process, the canvas was fully cleaned, mended and patches were adhered to secure the larger tears. The painted surface was cleaned and the aged and discolored varnish was removed along with some stains that were distorting the chromatic values. Finally, the paint losses were filled and then inpainted. The painting was re-stretched to a new stretcher and as a protective measure, a loose-lining was given to the back of the canvas.
After the satisfactory conclusion of the conservation treatment, this artwork was loaned to the Museo Nacional de Colombia for a temporal exhibition entitled "The Kingdom before the King: reconquest, pacification or restoration in the New Kingdom of Granada (1815-1819)", as Andrés Maria Rosillo y Meruelo played an important role during the Independence process.
