 | ||||
 |
Conserving the Past for the Future
|
|||
|
A Conservation Tour
|
|||
|
Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth: How a Painting's Appearance Changes Over Time
|
|||
 |
|
 |
 |
| Franciso de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598-1664) Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth, about 1635-40 Oil on canvas, 165 x 218.2 cm Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1960.117 |
|
Dark Ground Layer
A dark ground layer, usually red or brown, was common in 17th-century Spanish painting, and Zurbarán's use of a gray-brown ground was certainly within the bounds of accepted tradition. In this picture the ground layer, a preparatory layer for the artist to paint on, is composed of a mixture of chalk, charcoal black, and a small amount of lead white. The latter ingredient was probably used to add body to the preparation layer.
|
|
|||||||
Page 5 of 11 | On the next page: Brushwork