ongoing conservation and restoration treatment
polychrome sculpture representing St Anne and the Virgin Child

Fig. 1 General view of the statue before treatment.


Manufacturing Technique

The polychrome sculpture represents Saint Anne and the Virgin Child. The statue is entirely made of wood, where several wooden parts were adhered together with animal-skin glue. The wood was then coated with a preparatory layer and painted with an oil-based paint. Part of the Saint’s robe has been water gilded. 



Past Interventions

The statue was cleaned in the past with an appropriate cleaning agent, causing irreversible damage to the paint layer and gilded areas. Detachments of wooden parts were re-attached by hammering a considerable number of metal nails ranging from 1cm – 10cm in length. Some missing parts of the statue were reconstructed with a brown-coloured oil-based gesso, whilst other parts were reconstructed in wood. The drapery of the Virgin and the clouds were entirely covered with a dark green oil-based paint to camouflage the extensive paint damage and losses. Finally, the entire statue was covered with a very thick layer of varnish.


Fig. 2 & 3: Detail views of the Saint's face in natural light (left) and in ultraviolet light (right). The old varnish layer has obscured the original colours. The varnish layer is also very thick and was applied abundantly which is evident by the varnish drippings mostly detected on the Saint's forehead when observed in ultraviolet light.


 
State of Conservation Before Treatment in 2011

Numerous cracks and open joints of the wooden support were detected. Some parts of the statue have been detached or lost.


Fig. 4 & 5: Detailed views of the Saint's neck and drapery, where both figures show wood cracks and open joints.

Moreover, the general wooden structure has been weakened by past insect infestations, where various species of insects have bored and punctured the wood from inside. The paint layer (including the gilding) has also detached and flaked off at several areas. Many metal nails have corroded, causing further paint detachment, losses and stains. The thick layer of varnish present all over the statue and the local application of additional paint (applied during past treatments) have also darkened and adhered to superficial dust and grime deposits.

Fig. 6: Detail of the Saint's foot showing an open joint and losses of wood and paint. One can also note that the original light flesh tones of the foot are completely camouflaged by the extremely dark varnish.


Fig. 7: View of the Saint's hand showing the missing fingers.


Fig. 8: View of the statue's bottom part showing paint losses and wood cracks.




Ongoing Conservation and Restoration Treatments

The statue was examined on site and first-aid treatments were carried out prior to transporting the statue to the conservation laboratory/studio in order to avoid further paint losses during handling and transportation. Afterwards the statue was examined further using scientific equipment (such as ultraviolet efflorescence, microscopic examination of samples and near-infrared spectroscopy) to:

  1. better understand how the statue was made;
  2. determine the statue’s condition and identify what has caused the damage and deterioration;
  3. identify what has been done to the statue during past restoration interventions.

In the meantime the statue was monitored for insect activity and was observed that the insect deterioration is not active. Afterwards the entire statue was cleaned from dust and grime. Both non-aqueous and aqueous cleaning agents were considered, often adjusting the pH and conductivity of the aqueous solvent in order to match those of the statue’s surface.



Fig. 9: Superficial cleaning with a cotton swab moistened with an aqueous cleaning solvent.


The thick and dark layer of varnish was also removed. It was necessary to test and design various chemical solvents specifically for each part of the statue in order to remove the varnish effectively without compromising the original paint layer. Moreover, the removal of the varnish was done in a very controlled and gradual manner, often combining chemical and mechanical cleaning methods (such as removing tiny varnish residues individually underneath high magnification with the tip of a scalpel blade).



Fig. 10, 11 & 12: Step-by-step illustration of how the varnish layer has been removed. First an emulsion containing solvents was applied in very small areas at a time with a small round brush. Then the varnish residues were individually removed with the tip of a fixed scalpel blade under high magnification.


Fig. 13: View of the Saint's face during removal of the old varnish layer. The removal of the varnish from the gilding can be also observed at the bottom part of the figure.


Fig. 14 & 15: It was possible to do some reconstructions of missing parts with strips of Balsa wood that fit exactly into the irregular wood lacunae. This addition of wood was also fitted inside internal lacunae (galleries that extend into the statue by past insect infestations) to reinforce the area. Moreover the addition of Balsa wood is completely reversible.


After removing the varnish layer, the past retouching and over-paint were also delicately removed from the fragile original paint layer. The rusting metal nails that were causing damage were removed sensibly without compromising the original material. Consequently, the detached wooden parts of the statue were re-adhered with a very stable and reversible adhesive. Flaking paint and gilding were similarly re-adhered. The wood and paint layer were consolidated, mainly at the areas which were damaged by past insect infestations.

The lost wooden parts of the statue were studied further and the possibility of some reconstructions was considered. For this purpose narrow strips of Balsa wood were cut, adhered together and later sculpted in situ. The wooden strips were also inserted inside the gaping insect galleries inside the statue in order to reinforce the wooden structure.

The reconstructions and every paint (and gilt) lacunae were carefully stuccoed. Later the entire statue was coated with its first protective layer that also saturated the colours and keeps the statue’s original paint layer isolated from the eventual retouching. 


[to be continued]


   home     |     caring for paintings and polychrome sculpture     |     more information about conservation and restoration interventions 

Please contact the conservator-restorer for additional information about this intervention. Additionally, consider re-visiting this site for additional updates. 
The author wishes to thank the owner of the statue and the NGO Flimkien Ghall-Ambjent Ahjar who has sponsored the conservation-restoration treatment. 
 

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