The Restoration Process Of The Painting "Saint John the Baptist"
Learn more about the work of Zeferino da Costa and the restoration work of MNBA
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The conservation department of the National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA) is responsible for the preservation of the collection under the museum's care, an action that aims to ensure the integrity and perpetuity of these cultural assets. In this way, it enables the study, dissemination, and exhibition of these collections.
Before exhibiting the collection several actions are necessary, among them conservation-restoration.
São João Batista (1873) by João Zeferino da CostaMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
Approximately 2 meters high and 1 meter 30 centimeters wide, the painting São João Batista, by artist João Zeferino da Costa, was restored in 2007 to be part of the 19th century Brazilian Art Gallery of the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Before starting the restoration work, it is fundamental to know the artwork in order to understand the reasons for the deterioration.
Getting to know the painting Saint John the Baptist
By artist Zeferino da Costa
João Zeferino da Costa was born in the city of Rio de Janeiro on August 25, 1840. He enrolled in the former Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in 1857, and was awarded a trip to Europe in 1868. Among the works executed by Zeferino in Rome, Italy, during his stay in Europe, the following paintings stand out: "The widow's mite", "Charity", "The Pompeian", and "Saint John the Baptist".
RestauradaMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
Iconographically, the painting depicts St. John the Baptist as an adult, with long hair,
São João Batista (1873) by João Zeferino da CostaMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
wearing a lambskin tunic.
In his left hand he carries a banner with the words ECCE AGNUS DEI, which means Behold the Lamb of God.
In the background landscape, on the left, we see the Jordan River where many people were baptized and,
to the right, a shell, both serving as symbols of baptism.
In the lower right corner of the painting, the signature - "Roma 1873 J. Zeferino da Costa".
São João Batista [detalhe assinatura] (1873) by João Zeferino da CostaMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
Past restoration interventions
In the 1960s, the work was in a very bad state of conservation "[...] canvas outside the chassis, folded, torn, covered with paste and materials foreign to the painting [...]", as per the technical report of that period.
In 1967, the canvas was restored. The restoration treatment carried out that year consisted in the removal of the varnish and repaints, facing with Japanese paper, fillings on the support, reentering with wax/resin compound, chromatic reintegration, and application of a final varnish.
40 years later
In 2007, the painting returned to the restoration lab presenting a stable state of conservation, but the old reintegrations had been altered and its reentering no longer fulfilled its function of supporting the original support.
Technical examinations performed before restoration
Restauração – exame inicial com auxílio de microscópioMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
The initial examinations must be made with adequate lighting so that the details of the materials and their state of preservation can be evaluated. With the aid of magnifiers and microscopes, various specifics, not visible to the naked eye, can be analyzed.
After the exams with normal light, the exams are performed with special lights, such as those with raking light, ultraviolet light, and infrared radiation.
São João Batista (1873) by João Zeferino da CostaMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
Examination with raking or tangential light
In the case of the São João Batista painting, there were deformations in the support and significant unevennesses in the areas of filling, where there were losses of the pictorial layer and the support.
luz ultravioleta (2007)Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
Ultraviolet Light Examination
luz ultravioleta (2007)Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
During examination with ultraviolet light, a large amount of chromatic reintegration was noted,
mainly on the left side of the frame and in its lower part.
The face of the figure of St. John the Baptist and much of the flesh were in perfect condition.
radiação infravermelha (2007)Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
Infrared Radiation Examination
radiação infravermelha (2007)Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
In the image we can see a detail of the hand in which we can see the drawing made by João Zeferino da Costa before the oil painting was done.
Remoção do verniz e das repinturasMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
The restoration intervention started with the surface cleaning procedure, followed by the removal of the varnish and repaints.
The next step consisted of applying a protection to the pictorial layer, in order to perform the removal of the restreched fabric adhered to the original canvas during the 1967 intervention.
During this step, a small signature of the artist was discovered in the upper left corner.
After cleaning and flattening the original support, the tears and losses were consolidated. Due to the extreme fragility of the canvas, it was necessary to restretch the canvas in order to promote the support and the pictorial layer, and make it possible to read the signature revealed on the back of the work.
Processo de reintegração cromáticaMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
After the conclusion of the intervention in the structural part of the painting, the application of material to compensate for the gaps, resulting from the losses of the preparation layer and the pictorial layer, was carried out.
The chromatic reintegration was carried out with materials especially developed for painting intervention procedures and sought to recover the delicacy of colors and passages executed by Zeferino da Costa during the creation of the composition.
At the end of the work, a synthetic varnish with an adequate refraction index was applied for the work to be displayed in the 19th Century Brazilian Art Gallery.
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19th Century Brazilian Art Gallery.
The work of the conservator-restorer
Works of art are unique objects with great artistic and historical value.
O trabalho do conservador-restauradorMuseu Nacional de Belas Artes
The conservation-restoration activity consists of exercising sensitivity, respect, and patience. Sensitivity is important for the understanding and study of the work as an artistic object.
Respect is fundamental for the execution of interventions in a judicious manner, preserving the integrity of the property. Patience is essential to accept the time required to complete each stage of the restoration work.
Although still underrated, the professionals who work in this field of knowledge are responsible for preserving this cultural heritage for future generations.
To them our gratitude.
Restoration Process - São João Batista Painting
Curator
Larissa Long
Conceived especially for Google Arts & Culture, 2022
Audio "Technical examinations performed before the restoration intervention" and "Restoration Treatment" with Maria Isabel Medeiros.
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