Conservation of the Franciszek Smuglewicz’s painting “The Founders of the Trinitarian Order Worshipping the Holy Trinity”

 

 

In 1998, the painting was conserved by Janina Bilotienė and Jūratė Janutytė

The frame was conserved by Audronė Čyžienė and Rūta Lukošiūnaitė

 

 

The painting was brought to the Pranas Gudynas Conservation Centre in critical condition. The corners of the stretcher did not move, the stretcher itself was deformed and mechanically damaged, unfit for use. The original thin linen canvas sewn together from two strips of different width was heavily deteriorated. Traces of former restorations (patches, impregnation marks) could be seen on the back side of the painting. The canvas was torn and deformed in many places. There were quite a large number of mechanical damages on the entire surface of the painting (with a total area of 80×2,5 cm). The canvas, the primer, the paint and the varnish were damaged.

 

After assessing and documenting the painting’s condition, biological, chemical and physical research was performed. Based on the material of research, a sustainable conservation and restoration programme was compiled.

 

The painting was carefully removed from the stretcher, rust marks at the edges were cleaned, and the torn and cut places of the canvas were connected and glued together. The painting was stretched on a temporary stretcher to even out the deformed canvas. The front side of the stretched work was covered with warm antiseptic leather glue and a protective paper was mounted. In this way the primer and paint layers were strengthened. The canvas deformations were evened out, the primer and the paint were reinforced, the back side of the painting was disinfected and cleaned, and the cut and torn places were fastened once again. After a repeated disinfection of the back side of the painting, it was lined with a new linen canvas of similar weave. The protective paper was removed, and the lined painting was mounted on a new wax-impregnated stretcher. The crumbled places were primed with conservation primer similar to the original one. When the primer had dried out, it was polished at the painting surface, the impurities on the painting surface were cleaned, and the varnish was thinned out and smoothened. The losses were retouched in watercolour. The painting was covered with a protective layer of Damara varnish. At the same time, the authentic frame of the painting was conserved.

Text by Algimantas Vaineikis

 

 

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