Conservation of the Franciszek Smuglewicz’s painting ‘St Onuphrius’

 

 

In 2000, the painting and the frame were conserved by Birutė Miškinienė

Biological analysis was conducted by Irena Bubinienė

Chemical analysis was conducted by Dalia Panavaitė

 

 

The painting was held in the service rooms of the Pivašiūnai church. According to the art researcher Regimanta Stankevičienė, previously it belonged to the Aukštadvaris Dominican church, which was converted into an Eastern Orthodox church in 1832–1842.

 

The painting was brought to the Pranas Gudynas Conservation Centre with a painted frame (quite likely by Smuglewicz himself). The frame was very dirty, nailed through the painting to the stretcher with large nails. The stretcher was weak, immobile and unfit for further use. A thin linen-weave canvas was torn off the stretcher, damaged by mould, and ripped. The painting layer was weakly connected to the primer, and traces of former conservations (patches, overpaintings, etc.) could be seen.

 

Having assessed and documented the condition of the work, biological, chemical and physical research was conducted. Based on the research material, a sustainable programme of conservation and restoration was compiled. The primer and painting layers were fixed with antiseptic fish glue. Both sides of the painting were disinfected, the canvas deformations were corrected, cracked places were fastened and smoothened. The original canvas was lined with a new canvas of similar weave using antiseptic plastified fish glue. The lined painting was mounted on a new stretcher. The crumbled places were primed with conservation primer, the impurities on the painting surface were cleaned, and the old yellowed varnish was thinned out. The losses were retouched in watercolour and a film of protective varnish was formed. At the same time, the authentic frame, possibly painted by Smuglewicz himself, was conserved.

Text by Algimantas Vaineikis

 

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