Bellini's 'The Blood of the Redeemer'

Allan Braham, Martin Wyld and Joyce Plesters
Technical Bulletin Volume 2, 1978

Abstract

The subject matter, meaning and purpose of Bellini's The Blood of the Redeemer and the transformation brought about by restoration are discussed. A close examination of the picture coupled with information gained by X-radiography, infrared photography and the study of cross sections, suggested flake losses in the sky and that the bottom of the reliefs, paving stones around Christ's legs and some darker stones were covered by retouching.

During the cleaning, remnants of four small billowing clouds appeared hovering behind the figure of Christ. It was thought that at one time they would have incorporated the heads of cherubim and seraphim. A section is devoted to the materials, technique and condition of the picture and there are comments on the presence of an unusual globular green copper carbonate, which the authors first detected in the green paint of the panels of Sassetta's Sansepolcro Altarpiece.

Keywords 

cleaning, Giovanni Bellini, infrared photography, panel paintings, radiography, retouching

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To cite this article we suggest using

Braham, A., Wyld, M., Plesters, J. 'Bellini's "The Blood of the Redeemer"'. National Gallery Technical Bulletin Vol 2, pp 11–24.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/technical-bulletin/braham_wyld_plesters1978

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