home>news & information >LEARNING THROUGH ART

A Moment in Time: Restoration of the Veronese Altarpiece

Paolo Caliari (Italian 1528–1588) The Virgin Child with Angels Appearing to Saints Abbot and Paul the Hermit (detail), Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, in Memory of Della Viola Forker Chrysler

The Chrysler’s conservator, Mark Lewis, has recently returned from his academic journey to Italy in preparation for the restoration of the Museum’s Veronese altarpiece. As a visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome, Lewis had the unique opportunity to visit several churches and museums to study paintings by Veronese and his contemporaries. During his stay, he also traveled to Florence and Milan where he met with Italian conservators who allowed him access into their studios to observe and discuss a number of treatments in progress, including the restoration of paintings by Caravaggio and Raphael.

The Chrysler’s Veronese painting, The Virgin and Child with Angels Appearing to Saints Anthony Abbot and Paul the Hermit, was created for the Church of San Benedetto Po near Mantua in 1562. Although the masterpiece is nearly 450 years old, it is still in remarkably good condition, however, the painting, which was last restored almost 60 years ago, has accumulated a layer of grime on its surface, and the protective varnish layer has become discolored over time, which obscures the rich colors for which Veronese and other Venetian artists were renowned. The painting is being cleaned and restored while on view in the galleries so that visitors will have an opportunity to see how a conservation treatment is carried out. Technical examination and paint analysis are currently underway, and the restoration is scheduled to begin this spring.