Gallerie dell’Accademia –
Restoration - Jheronimus Bosch 500. The international program of celebrations
throughout 2016 to remember the great Dutch artist, Jheronimus Bosch on the occasion of the 500th
anniversary of his death, starts in Venice with the preview presentation of the
restoration of two of the three polyptychs belonging to the collections of the
Gallerie dell’Accademia: The Triptych of St. Uncumber and the Four Visions of
the Hereafter. The third work, preserved in Venice, the Hermit Saints Triptych,
is currently in the final phase of restoration and will be exhibited at
Gallerie dell’Accademia in the second half of May 2016.
Photo by Matteo de Fina – Courtesy
Gallerie dell’Accademia
Gallerie dell’Accademia –
Restoration - Jheronimus Bosch 500. The preview of Triptych of St. Uncumber, and
Four Visions of the Hereafter can be admired inside the museum of Gallerie
dell’Accademia, until 7 February, 2016; a unique event enriched by the setting
up of a multimedia station which offers some phases of the restoration through
images and video. The three Venetian works of
Jheronimus Bosch represent significant moments in the production of the Dutch
painter, characterized by evocative fairy tales, that, through splashes of
color and light touches, created, fantastic and unreal, dreamlike visions,
sometimes agonizing, sometimes tormented, undeniably unique, a product of a
peculiar interpretation of reality that still remains a mystery.
The central panel represents the
crucifixion of a female saint, Uncumber (also called Liberata or Wilgefortis).
The left wing shows St. Anthony in meditation, the right wing a monk leading a
soldier. Originally a kneeling male donor appeared on each wing. These figures
were over painted but are now revealed through X-radiology, infrared reflectology
and infrared photography.
According to dendrochronlogy analysis of the central panel’s wood, the youngest
growth ring dates from 1480, so the panel could not have been painted before
1489, and an execution before 1493 is unlikely. The exteriors of both wings
have been stripped; what was represented there is unknown.
Above. Triptych
of St. Uncumber and a detail before and after restoration.
Paola Marini, director of
the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Joost Klarenbeek, deputy ambassador of the
Netherlands in Italy, Charles de Mooij, director of
Het Noordbrabants Museum and Paul Rupp, president of BRCP – Bosch Research and
Conservation Project.
“Hieronymus Bosch is the most
important and most original medieval artist our country has ever produced. It
is long-cherished ambition to get the vast majority of his works back to his
hometown in 2016. And a great opportunity for a new generation to get
acquainted with this work, which is unique in every respect.”
Charles de
Mooij
Director - Het Noordbrabants Museum
Restoration - Jheronimus
Bosch. To mark the 500th
year since his death, Het Noordbrabants Museum is presenting the exhibition,
‘Jheronimus Bosch - Visions of genius’, from 13th February to 8th May 2016. For
one time only, the majority of his work will return to his city, Den Bosch,
officially known as ’s-Hertogenbosch. The works come from the world’s major
collections and many have been restored especially for this occasion through
the BRCP-Bosch Research and Conservation Project. In the exposition there will
be over 20 paintings, 19 designs and different triptychs and panels, for the first
time brought together in a unique exhibition
Above. Charles de Mooij, Director of
Het Noordbrabants Museum and Paul Rupp, president of BRCP – Bosch Research and
Conservation Project.
Photo courtesy BCRP
Restoration - Jheronimus Bosch –
BRCP. The restoration of the three polyptychs, started in 2013, funded by the
BRCP- Bosch Research and Conservation Project and the Getty Foundation in Los
Angeles, and was completely produced in Venice, in the laboratories of
restorations at Misericordia. The most advanced techniques of diagnosis and
intervention have been used. In particular, to document the complex and
innovative diagnostic process in relation to the works.
Above. The side by side viewer
allows for an interactive view of each of the painted surfaces. It Is thus
possible to switch from high resolution vision into ultraviolet photography and
infrared reflectography, or combine different visions or exploit the real-time
image resizing using the mouse.
Robert G. Erdmann, who is responsible for viewer technology, image processing, digital infrastructure, interaction
design and website design.
Jheronimus Bosch - Four Visions of the Hereafter
This series of four panels
represents punishment and reward: the Fall of the Damned and Hell, in
opposition to Earthly Paradise and Ascent into Heaven. The reverses are
painted to imitate marble, two panels in red and two in green. Dendrochronology shows the youngest
annual growth ring to be from 1473. Thus, the panels were not painted before
1482, and probably not before 1486. The panels’ original function and
arrangement are unknown. There is no signature, and the generally accepted
attribution to Bosch is based on stylistic analysis only. The ascent of blessed
souls to the light through a tapering tunnel is one of the most acclaimed
details in the Bosch oeuvre.
Jheronimus Bosch - Four Visions of the Hereafter
– back
Luuk Hoogstede, panel painting
conservator and head restorer Giulio Bono
Jheronimus Bosch - Four Visions of the Hereafter
Detail – Hell
Jheronimus Bosch - Four Visions of the Hereafter
Detail – Ascent into Heaven
Photo
by Matteo de Fina – Courtesy Gallerie dell’Accademia
The Venetian Restoration Team headed
by Matteo Ceriana and co-ordinated by Maria Chiara Maida, director of the
Laboratorio di Restauro Dipinti della Misericordia.
The Accademia Bridge seen from The
Gallerie dell’Accademia