Restoration of the famous Ghent Altar launched in Belgium Automatic translate

In the Belgian city of Ghent, work began on the restoration of one of the greatest works of art - the Ghent Altarpiece.

Photo: closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be

Started by Hubert van Eyck (1370-1426) and completed after his death by his brother, Jan van Eyck (1390-1441), in 1432, the altar is a unique, perhaps the most revered work of art of the era. Rebirth. This is the largest iconographic complex that has survived to this day. The altar consists of 24 oak panels, with a total height of more than 3.5 meters and a width of about 5 meters (in open form). The Ghent Altar was commissioned by Joos Vijdt for the family chapel at St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent. The image of the customer can be seen on the closed wings of the altar in the lower left. It is still not clear which parts of the altar were painted by each of the brothers. Numerous examinations revealed absolutely no technical differences, which gave rise to a number of researchers to doubt the authorship of Hubert van Eyck.

The van Eyckey brothers were among the first artists to start using oil paints. Gena’s altar is made in the technique of thin layers on a bleached basis, which gives the visual effect of translucency. Note that the nude Adam and Eve - one of the first known images of nudes in Flemish art. The central part of the altar, which depicts the Virgin Mary, God and John the Baptist (in this combination, also called Deesis), is taken from classical Byzantine iconography.

The fate of the Ghent altar has become one of the most dramatic in the history of art. Six times robbers attempted to attack him, one of the panels stolen in 1934 was never found. In the 16th century, the altar was dismantled and hidden by the clergy themselves twice, first from the foreigners, then from the Calvinists. Two centuries later, the central parts of the altar ended up in France as a war trophy, but were returned to Belgium after Napoleon’s death. In 1945, the altar was not miraculously destroyed by the Nazis. All these events could not but affect the safety of the masterpiece. Only two panels depicting Adam and Eve remained in their original form and were not exposed to any significant adverse factors. Currently, scientists are developing an individual restoration program for each part of a work of art.

Panels of the Ghent Altar are varnished. It serves not only as a protective coating, but also has an important optical function, making the colors of the paintings more saturated, and the surface more even. However, most varnishes degrade over time, forming a dark, cloudy, brittle layer, which significantly affects the perception of tonal features. Therefore, restorers regularly remove old layers of varnish, replacing them with a new coating.

In 2010, preparatory work was already carried out, during which experts examined the composition and solubility of the varnish. It was possible to establish that the surface of the polyptych is covered with several layers of varnish of different thickness and composition. The oldest layer dates back to the nineteenth century. He probably remained from the restoration carried out 60 years ago (in 1950-51), when a team of scientists led by Paul Coremans did not have enough time and money to completely clean the coating.

Currently, the condition of the varnish is very poor, the color balance of the paintings is significantly affected by the dirty, degraded varnish. Scientists and restorers have a lot of work to do to replace the altar lacquer with a new one. According to experts, restoration work will last about five years, while the cost of the project will be approximately $ 1.3 million.

The Ghent altar, in its current form, is available for study on the Internet in extremely high resolution, without any restrictions. Digitization Project Website: closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be

Anna Sidorova