Restoration of the San Nicolás de Bari altarpiece of the Convent of the Discalced Mercedarian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception
Last third of the seventeenth century
The church of the convent of Mercedarias de la Purísima Concepción in Madrid, known as Las Góngoras, houses inside a set of altarpieces of great value and beauty, among which is the one dedicated to San Nicolás de Bari, located in the arm of the transept on the epistle side of the church, next to the access door to the cloister.
It is a pictorial altarpiece with a very simple formal scheme, which fundamentally serves as a large frame for the placement of the canvas that represents San Nicolás de Bari and is attributed to the Granada baroque painter Atanasio Bocanegra. The masonry dates from 1944, while the painting is a relocated canvas from the late XNUMXth century. The altarpiece is completely covered in gold leaf.
Description of work
Images of the altarpiece before and after the intervention:
El painter Pedro Atanasio Bocanegra (Granada, 1638-1689) was a disciple of Alonso Cano, in the final years of the 1660s. He became the most active artist in his hometown. After a brief stay in Seville, in 1686 he went to the Madrid court protected by Don Pedro de Toledo, Marquis of Mancera, who helped him obtain the title of King's Painter. to honor for his painting Allegory of Justice (Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid), which is inspired by a Venetian print from the mid-XNUMXth century.
Bocanegra's style is very close to that of his teacher Cano, achieving great charm in his religious images, represented with great delicacy.
The restored painting is made on two pieces of raw linen fabric, which are joined by a vertical seam to reach the dimensions of the work. It is an oil painting probably made with mineral pigments bound with oil.
restoration project
El support and structure of the altarpiece of San Nicolás was in very good condition, partly due to the short time that had passed since its execution. There is some modification in its structure, as well as other deteriorations such as the loss of one of the finials of one of the elements of the plant decoration on the left side of the bench, presence of perforations and holes, lack of adhesion and losses in the preparation , loss of gilding, wear and abrasions, especially in the lower part of the work, which may be caused by the direct action of water. Other alterations found were loss of gilding, occasional oxidation of false gold sheets, repainting (its presence seems to respond to defects and errors in the gilding technique itself), surface dirt, scuffs and scratches.
The natural aging of the varnishes, through oxidation processes, had produced the darkening of the entire surface, homogenizing the different finishes of the work. Likewise, the remains of drops of candle wax were abundant in the lower part of the bench and the presence of metallic elements such as nails.
As regards the checksIt should be noted that the structure of the frame was deformed and the oxidation of metal elements could be seen; Both problems are reflected in the loss of tension in the canvas, which causes deformations in the fabric. In addition, the canvas had stretcher marks and small losses and patches.
Regarding the state of conservation of the pictorial film we find a well-preserved layer, with an acceptable cohesion and adhesion to the preparatory layer, only the losses due to lack of support or preparation are noteworthy. The few flaws in the pictorial film are small and are concentrated in dark colors. Other alterations that the paint showed were the natural oxidation of the oily binder and varnish, some of which cracked, loss of color saturation due to the accumulation of dirt and the aging of the varnish layer.
In accordance with current restoration criteria, the principle of minimal intervention was respected in each of the phases.
- Firstly, a altarpiece cleaning. Fine surface dust and accumulated dirt were removed using soft-haired brushes and air vacuuming. The rust was removed mechanically on the metal elements, protecting them against new oxidation.
- Se they eliminated mechanically the non-original metal elements and those that no longer fulfilled their function and that due to their state of oxidation could cause damage to the work, protecting in each case the surrounding polychrome. The preparation and gold coating that had been detached were adhered. The areas where an aqueous treatment was carried out were previously protected by applying a waterproof acrylic resin in solution, which was subsequently removed.
- Se Reconstruct lost items and holes are filled using an appropriate resin, which is not affected by changes in humidity or temperature, nor is it vulnerable to the action of xylophagous insects. The reintegration of the coating was carried out only in the big faults, by means of water gilding and superficial stencilling, or with watercolours. The final protection of the altarpiece was carried out using a layer of transparent, unalterable and elastic varnish, which guarantees its adequate exposure to light.
- The painting intervention entailed, first of all, the disassembled from the canvas, to proceed with cleaning the back of the fabric, by vacuuming, brushing and using sponges. Application of humidification and controlled pressure, to eliminate deformations, supported by ironing with a hot spatula. The seam of the fabric was flattened by applying moisture and pressure, then reinforced with adhered silk crepeline. To ensure its stability, the canvas was placed on an inert rigid support, to which the original frame was attached; Due to its documentary and historical interest, the conservation of the original frame was a priority.
- Cleaning the canvas is completed with the varnish removal rusty and surface dirt. Losses and shortcomings were physically reintegrated with synthetic putty and resin pigments, using a linear pattern. Finally, the canvas was varnished using a synthetic resin applied by spraying.
With the restoration of the altarpiece, a piece of great artistic value is recovered that can be appreciated with its original characteristics.
Image gallery
