Overview
Raphael’s Madonna della Seggiola (Madonna of the Chair) was originally painted in c.1513-1514. The work depicts Mary holding the Christ child on her lap, with an infant John the Baptist watching from one side. This mid-late 19th century reproduction skilfully captures a sense of the original, in both colour and form. Like the original it is painted with oil on panel and is framed in an ornate, hand-crafted frame with a circular opening. The frame has its own unique qualities, with angel faces subtly carved in each corner.
Condition
On arrival at ICS, there was extensive surface dirt and dust across the surface of the painting. It had been overpainted in sections and appeared quite dark and discoloured. In addition, the surface coating and varnish had lost its consistency and was yellowed, crazed and blanched in certain areas.
The nails holding the painting into the frame were heavily rusted and had stained the timber. The frame itself – which had originally been fully covered in gold leaf – had been overpainted with gold paint at some point. Over time the overpaint had faded and tarnished and was flaking in places. Some of the moulding was heavily cracked and detaching from the main body of the frame, while some areas were missing altogether and needed to be replaced.
Treatment
Both the painting and frame underwent a full conservation treatment, which included:
Overview ICS won the 2022 NSW National Trust “Conservation – Interiors and Objects” Award for this project, with its submission titled “The Discovery of an Old Master Panel Painting Masquerading as a 19th Century Copy”. The discovery of this artwork made headlines around the world. The still life painting originally belonged to the National Trust’s Woodford Academy collection. Its provenance...
Overview ICS was engaged by St Agnes’ Catholic Church to undertake conservation treatment on the 14 Stations of the Cross and two sculptures of Mary and Jesus located inside St Agnes’ Catholic Church in Port Macquarie. Each Station is modelled...