The
conservation of the
"Last Day Of Pompeii", which was painted by Karl Brullov
Techniques: oil on canvas.
Size: 456,5 x 651 cm.
Inventory number: J-5084.
Time of conservation: 1995.
Art Conservators:
Eugene Soldatenkov, Irina Kornjakova, Alexander Minin. |
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The painting was turned right side down. The
canvas was fragile and had much grime. In the foreground are seen old restoration edges,
which were made in the restoration of 1953. |
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In the enlarged session on the 15th of
March 1995 the State Russian Museum Art Conservation Department Council decided to begin
conservation.
In the work's beginning the paint film was strengthened with a
preventive paper gluing and then the canvas was taken from the author's stretcher. Then
the painting was stretchened by its borders on the marble floor with the paint surface
down, thus backside being defended from the surface dirt. From the back side there were
removed two layers of old restoration duplicate edges, that were the cause of canvas
deformations and over 40 restoration patches, that were on the old canvas breaks. Over the
hundred losses of the author's canvas, that were especially numerous along the edges,
were done up with new canvas insets. Then the painting was lined on a new canvas identical
on its character and quality to the author's one, that had been ordered in Germany.
Losses of the paint film were filled with restoration ground and toned with watercolor.
Author's varnish was fully recreated through the regeneration of spirit steams.
In the work process there were worked through the methods of
strengthening the paint film and ground on a big-sized space, technique of cleaning from
the backside with the use of special technologies and simultaneous vacuum drawing off the
dirt. This work's important result was working out of new devices that facilitate and
simplify the technical restoration process. In particular there had been created on a
special project light-weight super-durable duraluminium working stretcher with the system
of special fastenings for stretching of the lining canvas. Experience obtained in the
result of carried out restoration measures was used in the work on other big-sized
artworks from the Russian museum painting funds and in the mounting of paintings in the
Russian museum Academician halls that were opened after the major repairs. |
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After preliminary slight
moistening the glue with which the edges were stuck, grew soft. Then they were very
carefully removed from the author's canvas. |
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On the canvas's lost places there were
over 40 old restoration patches that had been made at different times by many generations
of restorers. |
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All the old patches were cautiously
removed. |
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Decrepitude of the painting left upper
border after taking off old doubling edges. |
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An old break, that was opened on the
place of removed patch. |
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On the breaks places were made several
hundreds insets from old canvas along the exact borders of these breaks. |
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New canvas was stretched on
the working stretcher, then stuck and lifted up on the blocks. Everything was prepared for
lining on the author's canvas. |
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