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Restoration of Garofalo's painting An Allegory of the Old and New Testaments Restorers: Alexei Nikolsky and Valery Brovkin This painting came into the State Hermitage in the 1920s from the palace at Gatchina. Most probably during the Second World War, in 1941, the canvas was wound onto a roller and thus evacuated from Leningrad. On its return, Garafalo's work was given preventative treatment, again wrapped on a roller (together with three other canvases) and placed in the stores. On 11 November 2005 the Allegory of the Old and New Testaments was delivered to the restoration workshop of the Hermitage's Restoration and Storage Centre in Staraya Derevnia for examination of its state of preservation and removed from the roller for subsequent restoration. The work was painted on a canvas made up of 14 pieces sewn together and backed by a second canvas, presumably in the late 18th century. Restoration selvage glued around the perimeter of the backing canvas had become deformed and dilapidated with age. At the junctures between all parts of the original canvas and the additions made during restoration and also around the edges of the painting there was significant separation of the layers of the canvases that had caused local deformations of the base and lifting of the paint layer together with the primer. On the face of the picture time-darkened restoration overpaintings were discovered that significantly obscured the original painting. In addition, there were insignificant losses of the paint layer together with the primer across the whole surface. The varnish, abraded in places, was generally a thin yellowed film, much clouded and begrimed, that concealed the true virtues of the painting. In November 2005 the Hermitage's Restoration Commission approved a programme of restoration work that included strengthening the paint layer and primer; removing the deformations of the canvases; removal of surface grime and the old selvage; the application of new restoration selvage; fitting the picture on a new stretcher; the application of restoration primer in places of loss, making good losses of the paint layer and correction of old overpaintings that had changed tone and colour. Restoration of the Allegory of the Old and New Testaments in the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Easel Paintings took about a year. All the procedures were carried out using traditional materials and methods. The painting was returned to a displayable condition and has occupied a worthy place in the museum rooms. |
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