Damages

Painting with varnish removed
The damages to the paint layer of this picture are caused by several factors. Some of this appears to be the result of damage to the canvas caused by small tears or folds (as is the case at the left side of the background.) The large areas of loss along the top and bottom of the left side of the painting may be the result of past water damage, or improper rolling, folding or storage. Smaller losses are the result of flaking paint. They are indicative of the type of instability that would have necessitated the lining of the painting. Lining is a procedure in which an additional canvas is adhered to the reverse of the original with an adhesive that also serves to stabilize insecurity in the paint and ground layers. Abrasion from cleanings in the past has two visual results. First, the thinner glazes such as the deepest shadows in Mary's red robe are lost. The modeling in turn has become much flatter. Second, abrasion of the painting has also exposed the dark ground layer to the degree that it affects the overall tonality, making the painting darker than the artist originally intended. When the museum acquired the painting in 1960, it was aware of the extent of the old losses, abrasion, and the lining. The number and extent of the different types of losses, coupled with the effects of abrasion made the conservation treatment, particularly the retouching of the painting, a long and extensive project.

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