sistine ceiling restoration seminar
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The Restoration of The Sistine Ceiling
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HISTORY OF THE SISTINE CEILING
Sistine Chapel built 1477-1480 by Pope Sixtus IV Ceiling originally decorated with starry firmament in
gold and ultramarine Pope Julis II commissions new ceiling decoration from
Michelangelo in 1508 Work begins July 1508 and finishes October 1512
Pope Julius II Ordering Bramante, Michelangelo and Rapahel to Construct
the Vatican and St Peter’s, Horace Vernet, 1827, www.1st-art-gallery.com
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BUON FRESCO: PLASTER PREPARATION
1. Produce lime (CaO) by burning calcium carbonate (CaCO3) with wood in a kiln
2. Slake lime with water to form calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2)
3. Mix lime with sand or pozzolana (volcanic ash) to form intonaco
4. Spread intonaco over arriccio layer
5. Ca(OH)2 reacts with CO2 and lime reverts to CaCO3
From top: CaO (product-image.tradeindia.com), slaked lime (www.shivamchemicals.in), and pozzolana (www.easybonzai.it)
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BUON FRESCO: WALL PAINTING
While intonaco is still wet, cartoon of design is transferred onto the wall
Pigments mixed with water applied and allowed to dry with plaster
Pentimenti (corrections) applied a secco (dry) Pigments mixed with
animal glue, egg yolk or resin
Detail, ‘The Creation of Adam,’ 1510, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/Befor
eandAfter.html
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EARLY DETERIORATION
Unstable underlying soil 1504, South wall bows out Giuliano da Sangallo inserts iron rods into vault
and under floor Salt efflorescence and mould outbreak in
1509 (‘The Flood’) Candles, incense burners, braziers, etc used
during and immediately after completion Giovio describes lunettes darkening in 1525
and further salt efflorescence in 1546
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THE DETERIORATION CONTINUES
Nearly 500 years of burning candles and Papal elections
Past conservation / cleaning efforts Inner-city pollutants (sulphur, nitrogen, chlorides) Thousands of daily visitors
Microclimate rises by around 5°C Convective current carries dust to fresco surface
‘Daniel,’ 1511, upload.wikimedia.org
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CONSERVATION PRIOR TO 1980
1543, office of mundator (cleaner) created by Vatican
1565-71, Domenico Carnevale plasters and repaints sections
1625, Simane Lagi dusts and scrubs with slices of bread
1710-12, Annibale Mazzuoli cleans with Greek wine and sponges
1904, Louis Seitz seals and consolidates plaster
1920s-30s Biagio Biagetti undertakes further consolidation
1964-74, Deoclecio Redig de Campos cleans frescoes on side walls
1975, vault made water proof
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THE VATICAN RESTORATION: PREPARATION
1. Around April 1980, Papal Museums, Monuments and Galleries’ Laboratory for the Restoration of Paintings begins study of fresco
2. Surface explored with daylight, quartz lamp, UV, IR and sodium monochromatic light
3. Plaster samples tested at Vatican’s Scientific Research Laboratory using IR spectrometry, thin-layer chromatography, liquid chromatography and absorption spectrophotometry (pigments)
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CONSERVATION PROCEDURE, 1980-1989
Wet cleaning with AB57, ammonium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and 10% solution of Desogen suspended in a carboxymethyl cellulose gel. Applied for three minutes,
rinsed with distilled water. 24 hours later the process was repeated.
Salt efflorescence treated with AB57 to which dimethylformamide was added, then rinsed with distilled water
Detail, ‘Joel,’ 1509, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/Befor
eandAfter.html
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MORE CONSERVATION PROCEDURE
Consolidation of loose intonaco with Vinnapas (PVA-PVC terpolymer of ethylene) and of a secco passages with Paraloid B72 3% in organic solvent
Infilling of gaps and cracks with stucco romano (mixture of lime, marble dust or grit)
Inpainting of missing passages with watercolours applied in vertical brushstrokes
Detail, ‘The Creation of Adam,’ 1510, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/Before
andAfter.html
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CONTROVERSY WRIT LARGE
The Vatican Conservators Team
The James Beck Corner
Vatican conservator cleaning ‘Jonah’ (1511), photograph by Vittoriano Rastelli, media-
2.web.britannica.com
James Beck, www.artsjournal.com
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PRIMARY ISSUES Europe vs America Science vs Art History Mannerist colour vs
terribilitá Beck claims glue layer
was original, l’ultima mano
Feldman claims chiaroscuro and definition was removed
Mancinelli and Colalucci claim a secco touches limited to the lunettes Glue layer added during
prior restorations
Detail, ‘Azor and Zadok,’ 1512, lunette, www.students.sbc.edu
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‘Ancestors of Christ,’ 1511, upload.wikimedia.org
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Detail, ‘Ignudi,’ 1510, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/BeforeandAfter.html
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That wasn’t so hard…Not at all. Paint the back wall next, will you, old chap?
T H A N K Y O U