Restoring The Annunciation
MúzeumCafé 6.
The painting was in a rather bad condition. The colours had changed to such an extent that Mary’s blue gown appeared definitely green and it could not be determined whether Archangel Gabriel’s clothing was yellow or white. Soiling and discoloured varnish distorted both light and dark colours and the layer of paint had risen at several places. The tondo was glued together from six panels, which had separated over the centuries and their surfaces had bulged. The displaced boards produced cracks in the paint surface. Thanks to luck and certainly the skill of the artist, who avoided painting the main parts on the joinings, the most important sections of the picture have su≠ered to a lesser extent. Cleaning helped not only to explore the insu≠iciencies. A definite gain is that the painter’s original colours and beautiful detailing can be seen again. At the same time, retouching only corrected faults spoiling the quality of the work, while retaining and respecting the features of the artist’s personality. Restoration took place in the Museum of Fine Arts. The work of art was examined by several Italian visitors, art historians and restorers whose interest was generated by this painting of high quality, which had unexpectedly turned up. Several analyses assisted the restoration process. For example, the determination of the paint layer and material was performed by Mária Tóth and her colleagues in the Geochemical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. András Fáy conducted the infra-red analysis. My view is that both analytical results will help to identify the painter.