Restoration of the painting of the Virgin of Sorrows from the Church of San Nicolás de Bari
Oil painting, 17th-18th century
The restored painting depicts the Virgin of Solitude of the Minim Friars, a clothed image that shows the Virgin meditating on the death of her son. It is located in the Church of San Nicolás de Bari or of the Servites, the oldest church in Madrid, already mentioned in the Charter of 1202.
Since the late 16th century, the Virgin of Sorrows, known as Solitude, has been worshipped in the convent church of the Minim Friars. She is characterized by her mourning attire, in the style worn by the royal widows of the House of Austria, after whom she is inspired. The image had a courtly origin, and its cult spread throughout Spain for more than two centuries, mainly due to the spread promoted by the Minim Order, founded by Saint Francis of Paola. This iconography has been reproduced in sculpture, painting, engraving, and ceramics.
Previous state of conservation
The painting is executed on a single piece of fine linen fabric with a simple plain weave. This second-quality fabric, known as brin, was used at the time to make sheets, linings, and sails for boats. It is attached to a panel, but it is not clear whether this was part of the original structure of the piece.
The work stands out for the quality of the shadows, the gradients, and the nuances in the cloak. The presence of false pieces lends it greater realism and allows it to be dated to the 18th century, as these additions, which were intended to achieve maximum naturalism and expressiveness to move the viewer, began to become popular from the mid-17th century, especially in polychrome sculptures.
The rosary cross has been lost, although the holes in which it was anchored remain. The silver crown, held onto the painting with through screws, and the glass tears adhered directly to the painted film are preserved. The original protective layer was lost, probably removed during a previous intervention.
The painting showed occasional losses of the paint film, dirt, and an oxidized varnish that altered and obscured the original colors. It had been heavily repainted, the result of a previous restoration, probably in the 19th century, carried out using an oleoresin technique that hid the color, shape, and texture of the original paint.
The painting suffered from surface dirt, with abundant dust deposits and splash and drip marks spread unevenly across the surface. The silver wreath was blackened. On the reverse, the fabric was oxidized and had some tears.
Restoration of the work
The intervention used materials compatible with the originals, reversible and discernible. The goal was to preserve the physical integrity of the work and restore the complete original image of the painting:
- Punctual re-adhesion of the pictorial film with technical gelatins and Japanese paper.
- Cleaning, removal of oxidized varnish residues and repaintingSolubility tests were performed to ensure the stability of the paint film. In some areas where the overpaint was insoluble, mechanical cleaning using scalpels was necessary.
- Leveling of the pictorial film and chromatic reintegration with synthetic putty.
- Final varnishing applied by spraying to avoid glare.
- Cleaning the crown metal and application of antioxidant protection.
Technical sheet
- Author
Anonymous
- Dating:
XNUMXth-XNUMXth century
- Matter:
Oil painting on canvas attached to board with silver and glass inserts
Church of San Nicolás de Bari or of the Servites
C/ San Nicolás, Madrid
- Work team:
Diana Alvarez Duplá
- Date of intervention:
2022
- Angulo, Diego; Pérez, AE (1969). 17th century Madrid painting. First third. Madrid. Diego Velázquez Institute.
- Gea, María Isabel (2002). Madrid Encyclopedic Dictionary. Madrid: The Bookstore.
- Perez Sanchez, Alfonso E. (1992). Baroque painting in Spain 1600-1750. Madrid. Cátedra SA Editions