British Museum works to restore "rare, complex" Michelangelo drawing
PHOTO
WORLD 30 November 2022 - 07:03
One of only two surviving Michelangelo cartoons is undergoing delicate and highly technical conservation work at the British Museum in an attempt to stabilise the fragile work for the coming decades.
Epifania, created by the Italian master artist around 1550, has degraded and been subject to repeated repairs over its almost 500-year history. Now it is laid out in the museum’s state-of-the-art conservation studios as specialists consider how best to preserve the complex structure and black chalk lines, The Guardian reported on November 28.
The conservation work began in 2018, but was interrupted by the Covid pandemic. It must be completed by May 2024, when the drawing of the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child and other male figures will go back on display as part of the museum’s permanent collection.
"Michelangelo was one of the great draughtsmen of the 16th century. He worked into his 80s, but left only 600 drawings behind – an astonishingly small number given his long career,” said Emma Turner, a senior conservator at the British Museum.
“He is known to have burned some of his drawings in his studio before his death because he didn’t want to reveal his working methods. He was very clear that what he wanted to remain was the ideal.”
The cartoon – a preparatory same-scale drawing for a finished work – was made for Ascanio Condivi, who was regarded as an undistinguished artist but made his name as Michelangelo’s biographer.
Twenty-six sheets of paper, made from cotton, hemp and flax, were overlapped and glued together with flour paste to create a 2.32 metre by 1.65 metre expanse for Michelangelo to work on. The resulting sheet was probably placed upright, with the artist working with chalk inserted into a length of reed.
“There are beautifully executed lines, and there’s also hatching, cross hatching and some shading. And although it’s primarily executed in black chalk, he also makes use of charcoal,” said Turner.
The cartoon was in Michelangelo’s studio at the time of his death. It remained in Italy until the late 18th century, and then travelled to England, the Netherlands and back to England. It was acquired by the British Museum in 1895.
Over the centuries there have been “plenty of repairs and patching”, said Turner. At some point, it seems the cartoon was lined with a textile, and since the 19th century a brown paper lining has supported the work. It was attached to a pine panel, which has now been removed.
Since 2018, conservators have been logging tears, repairs, patches, watermarks and the structure of the work. Now Turner and her colleagues are weighing up possible courses of action to stabilise Epifania – work that includes testing possible treatments on models of the work.
They have also used reflectance transformation imaging (RTI), a photographic method that reveals surface information invisible under normal examination.
“We’re critically examining the options that are available to establish what offers the best solution at this time. In future, there may be a more sympathetic or a better option,” said Turner.
“If the repairs are causing damage, there would possibly be a case for removing them. But the likelihood is that they will stay. To remove them is an enormous undertaking, and it also would fundamentally change the object as it arrived into the museum.”
Before the end of the year, the work will be flipped – a complex and risky operation – to allow a detailed examination of the reverse, including some tears that run through both the cartoon and the lining paper.
Epifania will eventually be remounted on to a lightweight but rigid aluminium honeycomb panel, and reframed to allow the cartoon’s recently uncovered edges to be displayed.
The work is funded by the Bank of America’s art conservation project, which supports museums and institutions to protect historically or culturally significant works.
It was “incredibly exciting and quite daunting” to be working on a “rare, complex and very large object with a 500-year history”, Turner said.
“We want to be as neutral as we can in our conservation interventions. So much research has already gone into it, and there’s so much more we will do before enacting any treatment, that we’ll be as confident of offering the best solution we can at this date. Epifania will never be in fantastic condition, but we hope to keep it stable.”
Caliber.Az
1
|
Iran re-evaluating its ties with Azerbaijan, Armenia Baku - more important, honest partner than Yerevan
25 April 2024 - 12:00
|
2
|
Armenia returns four villages to Azerbaijan, paving the way for peace in the South Caucasus Landmark accord
23 April 2024 - 09:14
|
3
|
Mark Rutte seeks Türkiye's backing for new job A new pair of hands
24 April 2024 - 16:55
|
4
|
"Peoples of South Caucasus should resolve their differences independently" Foreign analysts on Caliber.Az
24 April 2024 - 17:40
|
5
|
Armenian PM's Moscow visit sparks speculation on bilateral relations Dilemma between East, West
23 April 2024 - 11:19
|
One international destination everyone wants to go to this summer
25 April 2024 - 23:00
Azerbaijani leader's plane makes its maiden voyage from Fuzuli to Berlin
25 April 2024 - 20:59
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan forge closer ties during high-level meetings
PHOTO/VIDEO25 April 2024 - 20:53
Russia’s Putin to visit China
25 April 2024 - 20:45
Azerbaijani tourism agency granted membership in Global Sustainable Tourism Council
25 April 2024 - 20:37
Azerbaijani parliament condemns EP's biased resolution on human rights
25 April 2024 - 20:25
Putin calls on large businesses to traditionally take part in SPIEF 2024
25 April 2024 - 20:19
Iranian defense minister heads to Astana for SCO defense ministers' meeting
25 April 2024 - 19:59
Türkiye neutralises over 800 terrorists since early 2024
VIDEO25 April 2024 - 19:43
European Parliament urges member states not to consider Russian elections legitimate
25 April 2024 - 19:24
How Iran covers up damage from Israel’s strikes?
PHOTO25 April 2024 - 19:05
Palestinians retrieve 392 bodies from 3 mass graves in Gaza’s Khan Younis
25 April 2024 - 18:46
Iran to launch missiles anywhere in Israel if necessary, general warns
25 April 2024 - 18:27
Twenty border markers installed between Azerbaijan & Armenia
Delimitation progress25 April 2024 - 18:18
Dozens detained at protests in Armenia
25 April 2024 - 18:08
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan expanding cooperation in space industry
25 April 2024 - 17:49
Controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominee Vardanyan faces int’l scrutiny & opposition
A closer look at actions contrary to peace & humanitarian efforts25 April 2024 - 17:31
Iran builds up military power by showing off advanced Bavar-373 air defence system
PHOTO25 April 2024 - 17:15
Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan visit Fuzuli, Aghdam cities
PHOTO25 April 2024 - 17:05
Lukashenko blames opposition and NATO: They want to take a district in Brest region by force
25 April 2024 - 17:00
Top Israeli, Egyptian officials secretly meet to discuss possible Rafah invasion
25 April 2024 - 16:41
Energy leading to peace
Proceeding from Azerbaijani President’s speech in ADA25 April 2024 - 16:22
“It would be a big mistake if Armenia used the support gained from the EU against Azerbaijan”
Amashov’s impromptu interview with Ambassador Sharp25 April 2024 - 16:16
Armenian Parliament speaker says legitimate border crucial for peace with Azerbaijan
25 April 2024 - 16:07
New mass grave discovered in Khojaly
Investigation underway / PHOTO25 April 2024 - 15:51
Port of Baku: the Eurasian trade hub working to expand and accelerate growth
Article by Euronews / VIDEO25 April 2024 - 15:39
Hybrid warfare being waged against Armenia, official says
25 April 2024 - 15:24
Azerbaijani police discover cache of weapons in Khankendi, linked to Armenian forces
25 April 2024 - 14:58
Zakharova slams Armenian media for distorting Russian leadership’s statements on Baku-Yerevan ties
25 April 2024 - 14:44
Baku, Budapest cement economic ties, sign protocol
25 April 2024 - 14:27
Yerevan ready to discuss gas purchase with Baku – Armenian Speaker
UPDATED25 April 2024 - 14:15
Azerbaijan set to take bold steps vis-à-vis climate change - minister
25 April 2024 - 14:09
Official: Hamas would lay down its weapons if two-state solution implemented
25 April 2024 - 13:54
Türkiye captures nearly 3,000 Islamic State suspects in 10 months
VIDEO25 April 2024 - 13:40
Blinken tours China to promote some ties
25 April 2024 - 13:26
Azerbaijani presidential aide showcases Fuzuli's rebirth in stirring social media video
25 April 2024 - 13:15
Media: China harbours ship tied to North Korea-Russia arms transfers
25 April 2024 - 13:11
Western Azerbaijan Community condemns US human rights report as discriminatory
25 April 2024 - 12:58
Israeli Air Force strikes dozens of targets in Gaza
VIDEO25 April 2024 - 12:43
Hungary prepares to participate in Karabakh's reconstruction
25 April 2024 - 12:29