Photograph of the entire work in 1951 after
the first intervention by Mr Goulinat.
(C2RMF).
Photograph of the picture in 1951, after the
emblems on the prie-Dieu and the Dauphin's
coat of arms had been reinstated as
requested by the conservator Paul Mesplé.
Photograph of the picture in 1951, after the
emblems on the prie-Dieu and the Dauphin's
coat of arms had been reinstated as
requested by the conservator Paul Mesple.
Detail of the prie-Dieu. The paint was refixed with hide glue in two phases, before and after the removal of the repaints. Certain areas refixed with wax resin in 1968 had to be redone using the same adhesive.
Numerous repaints, both old and new, were easily recognizable and did not require microchemical analysis to diagnose them: a non-original grey layer covered the whole paint layer, toning down its luminosity. This hard grey film was resistant to light solvents and was thinned mechanically after having been lightly softened using a basic solvent. Three types of mastic were found under the repaints, having been applied during various restoration campaigns. The oldest, composed of a very hard grey composite material, does not protrude. The yellow and pink mastic, matching the surrounding colours, do protrude and certainly correspond with the intervention described by Goulinat in 1950. The white putty is the most recent.
Removing the repaints revealed a very mixed state of preservation: the upper part, composed of the golden sky, is generally worn and lacunary and the preparation is visible; in comparison, the central part comprising the landscape and the three main figures is in fairly good condition; the lower part, where the King and the Dauphin are shown, has deteriorated the most and is the most chaotic.
Despite its condition, the picture has retained its solemnity and the power of its composition, which is established by the three strong verticals of the figures of the Virgin, Christ and Saint John, supported by the horizontals of the cross and the landscape.
The type of integration to be used was the subject of long discussions aimed at enhancing and respecting the original painting and its history. The choice was collegial. The first requirement was to preserve the traces of the mutilation carried out during the Revolution.
Too systematic an intervention would have left the lower part too chaotic and incomprehensible. Conversely, it was unthinkable to undertake a totally illusionist intervention because of the gilding amongst other things, difficult if not impossible to recreate identically. Also, the parts of the sky needing restoration were more extensive than the original parts, arousing fears that the restorations would be misread. The King’s red coat, almost completely lacunary, would have required a full interpretation of the design of the brocade. There remained visible reintegration (tratteggio, a neutral tone, small dots), which did not appear very satisfactory because it was not anchored in the chromatic, formal and material reality of the paint layer.