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Restoration of the fresco The Virgin Hodegetria
and Child (14th century) During the 2004 field expedition season, the Southern Crimean Expedition of the State Hermitage and of the Crimean Branch of the Institute of Archeology (National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine) continued their study of the medieval Genoese fortress of Chembalo, which they began in 2002 under the direction of the head of excavations, senior researcher of the State Hermitage's Oriental Department Svetlana Adaksina. In every respect the burial of remains of the fresco The Virgin Hodegetria and Child (14th century) was unique. This was a shallow depression solidly filled with carefully stacked fragments of the painting which were in disorder. Working directly on the spot, pieces of the fresco were cleaned of soil using a soft-bristled brush, glued together with an acetone solution of PBMA (polybutilmetacrylate) and after thorough drying were taken apart layer by layer and laid out on a planchette. Hundreds of small (from 0.5 å 0.7 to 2 å 2 cm) and larger fragments (10 å 7; 12 å 8; 15 å 12 cm), which were separated from one another, were sorted according to colour and assumed design. The basic task was to choose small fragments of the fresco and glue them in blocks which fit together. This was a very important and painstaking process, in the course of which the fresco was turned from a ruin into a single piece of painting. In April 2005 art restorers of the State Hermitage's Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Monumental Painting Yelena Stepanova and Artem Stepanov were sent to Chersonesus (Crimea) to continue the restoration work as creative assistance to the Chersonesus Museum-Reserve. The plaster and paint layers were strengthened; all fragments were collected and glued in place; and cracks and lost parts were filled in with putty. The fresco fragment was mounted on a foam plastic foundation. As a result, the fresco took on solidity, wholeness and an appearance suitable for public showing. At present it is displayed in the Chersonesus Museum. This work had a large impact on the cultural life of the Ukraine. |
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Copyright © 2006 State
Hermitage Museum |
