World culture: The exhibition of a series “Revived Masterpieces” in the Hermitage

May 17, 2016 on the eve of the International Day of Museums in the Apollo Hall of the Winter Palace was opened an exhibition of the series "Revived Masterpieces" - "Rogier van der Weyden. Saint Luke painting Madonna. To the end of the restoration".

Rogier van der Weyden (about 1400-1464) - one of the outstanding artists of the XV century - the golden age of Dutch painting, a pupil of the famous masters of the Northern Renaissance - Robert Campin, worked in Brussels. To the Dutch painting he made the topic of disclosure of human experience, and a significant impact on his contemporaries and followers. 

Currently, in the world are known four versions of the painting "St. Luke painting Madonna". One of them is in the State Hermitage, the other three - in the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, USA), in the Alte Pinakothek (Munich, Germany), the Museum of Groningen (Brugge, Belgium). The painting entered the Hermitage in an unusual way. It was divided into two parts. The right half with the image of St. Luke was acquired in 1850 from the collection of Willem II, King of the Netherlands, who was married to the daughter of Paul I, Anna Pavlovna. Left - with the image of the Madonna and Child was acquired in 1884 in a Parisian antique dealer Antoine Bera, she came from Spain, Queen Isabella II of the meeting, who lived in exile in France.

During the time spent in the Hermitage the painting has undergone several restorations - in 1854 part with St. Luke it was (strengthened the foundations paintings on the back side, preventing its deformation) by Fedor Tabuntsov. Then, in 1867, this half was transferred from wood to canvas Hermitage by restorer Alexander Sidorov. In 1884, he also following the acquisition of the second half of the picture turned it from a tree on canvas and combined into a single unit with the first part. 

After connecting the two halves the painting "St. Luke painting Madonna" acquired almost original appearance. Almost - because it was devoid of the upper part of the composition, as well as its two restoration consoles were made - the top half with St. Luke and the bottom half with Madonna. Unpreserved part of the top of the picture is now possible to imagine comparing the works with three other known variants.

In early 2013, after a study of the monument in the IR and UV rays, fluoroscopy, study the composition of the painting materials, such as copyright, and restoration work on the restoration of the painting was started.

At the end of 2015 the restoration of the painting was completed. It was conducted the disclosure by a multi-layer strongly darkened varnish, were removed the old recording, calling on the author's paintings, tinted loss of the original painting. On the restoration of the XIX century the new consoles of reconstruction were carried out, the corresponding author of the composition.