The Transfer of the Support

The Mass of St. Gregory was painted by Hans Baldung Grien around 1511. The original support for the painting was a wooden panel, possibly made of pine since one of its side wings maintains an original support of pine. (There is some confusion in the written records about the type of wood used for this central panel. The conservator who transferred the picture thought it was fir. It has also been called linden. There is not enough of the original wooden support left for analysis.) In 1951, the painting was transferred; i.e., it was thinned from the reverse until about .5 mm-1mm of the panel remained. Pockets of gesso are found in the original panel. These are probably areas where holes of insect or worm damage were filled with inert material at the time of the transfer. The ground and paint layers were then attached with a water-soluble adhesive to a piece of _" thick masonite. The masonite was in turn veneered on the back and sides with hardwood. A cradle or network of wooden batons was put on the reverse to keep the support from warping.
Detail: Edge of painting showing support

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