Restoration of three altar tables of the church of the Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians
17th century. Church of the Monastery of San Ildefonso and San Juan de Mata (Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians)
One of the tables is located in the centre of the presbytery, on the main altar of the church of the monastery of San Ildefonso and San Juan de Mata (Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians). The other two are located in the altarpiece called Cristo de la Piedad, which is located in the left arm of the transept as you look at the head, and in the altarpiece called San Juan Bautista de la Concepción, located in the right arm of the transept.
The tables are made of pine wood, stuccoed and polychrome, imitating hard stone with dominant reddish tones.
Its curvilinear profile is narrower at the base than at the top. It has chamfered corners, decorated in low relief carving with plant motifs and gilded with fine gold in origin.
The perimeter of the upper part is decorated with a simple moulding gilded with fine gold. The front parts of the altar tables have a carved decoration in the form of garlands that join together in the centre.
On the larger main altar table, the central shield appears where the two garlands of leaves meet, containing the Trinitarian cross in its centre. At the bottom there are handcuffs, a Trinitarian symbol alluding to the libertarian function of the Order.
On the side tables of the transept a deer is represented that contains the Trinitarian cross between its antlers.
Previous state of conservation
The tables were covered in a layer of dirt, dust and biological residues. There was also a layer of dirt adhered to them by the presence of oily fumes and environmental pollution, which turned the surface black.
The original polychromy of the tables, hidden beneath the repainting, was in a fairly good state of preservation, although hidden. The re-polychromy they presented responds to a change in taste of the time.
The three tables had been completely repainted. White, cream and grey veining tones were used, imitating white marble. The repainting was of very poor material and aesthetic quality.
The tables had oxidized varnishes that had been applied without first removing the original protective varnishes and finishes. The application of several successive layers of varnish gave the appearance of the finish a yellowish thickness that altered the value of the pieces.
Likewise, wear and loss of polychrome were evident on all three tables, especially in the lower areas of the tables.
The golds were also largely repainted with already oxidized glitter, they had lost their golden shine, becoming quite dark.
Cracks and holes could be seen on all three tables.
restoration project
After carrying out tastings and solubility tests, which made it possible to determine the techniques and materials used in the execution of the works, as well as to delimit the materials likely to be used in the restoration, it was determined that the original polychromy would be preserved, imitating coloured stones, with reddish tones dominating.
The following have been carried out restoration work:
- Realization of photographic shots to determine the state of conservation and the initial state of the work and throughout the intervention to keep a record of the entire process.
- Mechanical cleaning of non-adhered dirt and chemical cleaning from dirt adhering to the surface.
- Elimination of repaints combining chemical and mechanical methods. A special gel was manufactured for these cleanings.
- Elimination of oxidized varnishes, wax residues and other surface deposits. Wax removal was first carried out mechanically, using a scalpel, and then chemically, by applying heat and solvents to dissolve and remove the wax.
- Leveling the polychrome layer with synthetic stucco, discernible and reversible with respect to the original, to achieve a surface that imitated the original stucco layer. The levelling also included closing holes in the surface caused by attacks by wood-eating insects and human action on the pieces.
- Recovery of the original form. The altar tables had undergone formal modifications, such as the front corners, with chamfered finishes, which had been eliminated and which, after this intervention, have been recovered.
- Saturation of the polychrome layer, by impregnating the polychrome surface with a transparent and stable film-forming layer.
- Volumetric and chromatic reintegration of gaps, with materials chosen for their optimal qualities, after levelling with a similar and reversible stucco on the substrate. The restorations have been carried out following imitative but discernible methods of the original, using watercolour, with an acrylic base.
- La reinstatement of gold.
- end protection. After applying the saturation layer to the surface of the imitation hard stone polychromes, a protective layer was applied to the gilded and tempered polychrome surfaces. The more fragile gilded areas were varnished with two layers to provide extra protection, given their fragility and exposure to friction, as they are more exposed on the protrusions. Synthetic resin was used, which is characterised by its great resistance to ageing.
The conservation-restoration works of the related altar tables were carried out on-site. As this is a place of daily worship, the equipment and materials needed to be assembled and disassembled on a daily basis were used so as not to interfere with the normal course of daily life in the church.
Images of the altar tables before and after restoration:
Technical sheet
- Dating:
Seventeenth century
Church of the Monastery of Saint Ildefonso and Saint John of Mata (Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians).
C/ Lope de Vega nº 18. Madrid
The church of the Monastery of San Ildefonso and San Juan de Mata was declared a National Monument by Royal Order of 17 September 1921, and the Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians on 11 November 1943. By Order 19/2017 of the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports, the protected area of the Convent of the Discalced Trinitarian Nuns was delimited. The three altar tables are protected assets of the Community of Madrid.
- Restoration work team:
Maria de la O Vargas Ruiz
- Date of intervention:
2024
Menéndez Pidal, Ramón. "The Convent of the Trinitarians of Madrid", in Bulletin of the Royal Academy of History, vol. 79, pp. 97-99 and 474-74, and vol. 112, 1943, pp. 141-142.
Aranjo y Costa, J. “The convent of the Trinitarias.” In HL Madrid, October 15 of 1951.
Bonet Correa, Antonio. (1961). 17th century churches in Madrid. Madrid, Diego Velázquez Institute, 1961, p. 30.
Tovar Martín, V. (1990). “The Monastery of the Discalced Trinitarian Nuns of San Ildefonso in Madrid”, Spanish Art Archive, No. 251, pp. 401-418.
VV.AA. (2002) “Altarpieces of the Community of Madrid. 15th to 17th centuries”, Madrid, Community of Madrid (2º ed.), Pp. 342-343.