Introduction

Before treatment		After treatment
Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth, one of the most important paintings in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, was painted by the Spanish artist Francisco Zurbarán around the year 1635. It is a fine example of the artist's technique, incorporating a method of design called chiaroscuro underpainting. For this painting, Zurbarán chose an unusual fabric support, the design of which can be detected through the paint layers as well as in x-radiography. As in other paintings, the artist prepared the fabric with a dark ground. His working method included different types of brushwork and layering of colors. He was particularly attentive to the sequence of his work and the effects he could produce in the areas of drapery. Small changes indicative of a perfectionist at work are visible now as pentimenti. The subtle effects of Zurbarán's artistry present challenges to the conservation treatment of this painting. The ground gives an overall darkness to the paint layers, which in turn require a varnish layer in order to properly saturate the nuances of his painting. Thin glazes in the drapery have suffered from past varnish removals. Old damages in the paint layers required extensive retouching after the removal of the deteriorated varnish.

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