The Annunciation: Conservation Phase 1

My name is Rebecca Vaudenal. I'm the Associate Paintings Conservator at the Conservation Center. When we last left you, we discussed how conservation begins with an examination of the artwork that allows us to formulate a treatment plan. The priority of any treatment plan is to focus on preserving original materials. In the case of this panel, treatment begins with This is one of the most important steps. An adhesive is carefully introduced by painting it onto small losses, raised cracks, just enough to relax it down into place. This must be done very slowly and carefully. If the paint isn't warm enough, it will shatter. If it is too hot, it will melt. The final step in the process is to remove any excess adhesive on the surface. An area may be consolidated several times to make sure that everything is stabilized. After consolidation comes surface cleaning. Like anything, paintings acquire a layer of dirt and grime over the years. Over time, this layer can become significant enough to affect the look of the artwork, as well as being acidic, abrasive, or damaging. Choosing a suitable cleaning solution requires careful testing. A cleaning solution should be effective at removing the dirt and grime, but not so strong that you risk damaging the paint layer. All colors are tested before we begin fully removing the surface grime, as different colors may be more sensitive. To do the actual cleaning, we hand roll small cotton swabs, not dissimilar to q-tips, then gently roll the swabs over the surface to lift the grime layer. In the case of this painting, the dirt and grime layer was fairly light, but had a gray appearance on the swab. After surface cleaning, I remove the discolored natural resin varnish. A varnish on a painting has several purposes. First, it is an aesthetic choice. Varnish saturates colors, giving them a richer and deeper appearance. Secondly, varnish is a protective and sacrificial coating. Varnishes are meant to be removed and reapplied as needed. This is not to say that the decision to remove a varnish should be taken lightly, as there is always a risk to removing one. The varnish I am removing in this step does not appear to be the original varnish. In a similar way to choosing a cleaning solution, I choose a solvent or solvent mixture that is strong enough to remove the varnish, but not so strong it damages the paint layer. All colors are tested before we begin fully removing the varnish, as again, different colors may be more sensitive. In the case of this painting, some of the older in-painting is also removed during this step. Removing the hidden varnish layer also reveals additional in-painting under the varnish. Due to the age of this panel, this is not a surprise, but is an important reminder that even with our examination and testing phases, that treatment should proceed carefully and be re-examined at each step. Looking at the painting with the varnish partially removed, you can see how much the discolored varnish has affected the appearance of the panel. The next time we talk, we will be showing you the panel with the varnish and old in-painting completely removed, or rather as much as can be safely removed without damaging the original paint layer. You will be reviewing the panel in a state of what is left from the original artist, hopefully with little to no retouching from later hands. Again though, in conservation, preservation of the original is the most important goal.