Following a 14-month restoration, Rubens’s ‘The Judgement of Paris’ returns to public display with new discoveries revealed

Following a 14-month restoration carried out in the Gallery’s Conservation Department and supported by Bank of America Art Conservation Project, The Judgement of Paris (probably 1632‒5) by Peter Paul Rubens (1577‒1640) returns to public display today (18 June).

On 10 May 2024, the National Gallery celebrated its 200th anniversary and began its Bicentenary celebrations, a year-long festival of art and creativity and imagination marking two centuries of bringing people and paintings together. In advance of a comprehensive redisplay of the collection for the first time in 30 years (provisionally titled 'The Main Event'), the Gallery planned to conserve some of its greatest masterpieces.

Rubens's 'The Judgement of Paris' is one of the best-known works by Rubens and is of paramount importance both within the artist's oeuvre and the National Gallery Collection.

Painted in the last decade of Rubens's life, when he was at the height of his powers, the work shows the moment Paris makes his fateful choice between the goddesses Venus, Minerva and Juno. Rubens painted this subject several times, but this is one of the most important and undisputedly autograph works and is among the artist's most recognisable and significant paintings.

The conservation of this outstanding work by Rubens highlights the collective expertise and collaborative approach the National Gallery brings to the restoration of its most important works with integrated scientific and art history research.

Scientific analysis of the layers of the painting and today’s imaging techniques - infrared reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) – some highly efficient non-invasive investigative techniques, enabled the conservator (Britta New, Conservator), curator (Bart Cornelis, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Painting) and the National Gallery scientists to confirm that the painting had been restored several times since the artist’s death in 1640. These restorations included a significant re-working of the composition sometime between 1676 and 1721, probably by a French artist who was employed by the Duc de Richelieu or the Duc d’Orléans. This artist cleverly tempered the erotic and voyeuristic aspects of the scene without concealing the nudity of the three goddesses. The painting arrived in Britain in 1792 and was eventually acquired by the National Gallery in 1844.

The analyses of cross-sections of the painting show which changes or pentimenti were made by Rubens himself and which later additions were made by other artists or conservators as the later modifications were made above a layer of varnish. It is also possible to determine which pigments were used – smalt, a blue that fades over time to grey, is visible in Rubens’s sky. It was discovered that Rubens also used more costly ultramarine, in Venus’ blue cloak.

Rubens also had changes made to the physical structure of his painting as he worked by adding horizontal boards (one at the base and five at the side) to extend the size of the panel to allow more space around the figures and he modified key aspects of the composition. The legs and feet and robes of the goddesses were altered and the peacock’s neck, now bent down to hiss at the sheepdog, was originally upright. He painted out a putto flying over Venus’ head and turned the face of another putto in the bottom left-hand corner of the picture. The later French painter covered up Rubens’s Cupid (who originally stood beside Venus) and instead transformed this putto into Cupid by adding some wings.

Rubens had intended a third putto to pull on Minerva’s shift, but following the French intervention only an ethereal hand remains. The positions of Paris and Mercury were also modified in France: In Rubens’s original postures, Paris’ right leg was raised, his left leg further forward and his hand clasped the golden apple in his lap. He wore a broad hat, and his shirt covered both shoulders. Mercury’s right arm can be seen gesturing towards the goddesses. These fascinating details help understand Rubens’s original intention.

The conservation treatment involved the removal and replacement of discoloured varnish and retouchings. The conservators faced difficult choices throughout as they had to decide if they needed to go back to Rubens’s original composition or keep many of the subsequent changes. It was decided to clean the painting to the same level as a prior treatment of the 1940s. During this, and some of the previous cleanings, the extent of the French re-working had been misjudged and partially removed and then only minimally restored. This approach allowed the conservator Britta New to restore the painting more sympathetically, improving the balance and coherence of the painting by retouching with more stable materials.

In consultation with the Curator Bart Cornelis, the retouching sought to suppress the very stark transitions between the partially revealed composition of Rubens and the re-worked passages which were in places damaged. The position taken was that the painting’s successive re-workings were part of the painting’s history and should be kept and made legible without distracting the viewing experience while allowing the informed viewer to pick out the aspects of Rubens’s composition that have changed. For example, the contours of Paris’ once lowered right arm are visible today through the folds of his white sleeve, even as he holds out the apple.

Important structural work to stabilise the oak panel was also carried out. Close examination of the auxiliary support of the painting, in combination with our knowledge of the picture’s provenance, deemed the ‘cradle’ likely to have been created by Jean-Louis Hacquin (the ‘father’ of the ‘adjustable’ cradle), who is recorded in 1770 to have worked on another Rubens panel with a similar provenance through the French Royal Family. This historical evidence alongside the relatively good condition of the panel convinced the conservator to adjust the cradle support by replacing the vertical battens with pairs of thinner battens allowing for a degree of flexibility to avoid future splits, as opposed to completely replacing the entire structure.

Finally, the painting has been fitted with an antique late 17th-century French Louis XIV frame purchased by the National Gallery especially for 'The Judgement of Paris'. It was thought that this frame would be a good fit for the painting both because the painting was changed while it was in France and because this frame will harmonise with the mostly French 18th-century style frames on the majority of the larger Rubens paintings in our collection. The frame was altered and re-gilded in the 19th century, it only required minimal adaptation.

To coincide with this new display, the Gallery has also published a video showing the behind the scenes of the restoration

Britta New, Conservator, says, ‘Rubens is well known for constantly embellishing and improving his paintings as he worked, but the added dimension of the subsequent re-working of 'The Judgement of Paris' made the treatment of the panel a stimulating challenge'.

Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, says, ‘I am grateful to Bank of America for enabling the fascinating conservation project on one of Rubens’s most beautiful paintings. The public can now enjoy it looking its best for the Bicentenary and beyond.'

Andrea Sullivan, International Executive; Head of Social and Environment group at Bank of America, says, ‘We are honoured to have once again partnered with the National Gallery. Through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project we are able to help preserve objects of significant historical and cultural heritage, for future generations to enjoy. Since 2010, we have supported over 260 conservation projects in 40 countries. It is particularly exciting to see this iconic masterpiece back on display.'

Notes to editors

The National Gallery

The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. More at nationalgallery.org.uk

On 10 May 2024 the National Gallery was 200 years old, and we started our Bicentenary celebration, a year-long festival of art, creativity and imagination, marking two centuries of bringing people and paintings together.

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