Alistair Smith, Anthony Reeve, Christine Powell and Aviva Burnstock
Technical Bulletin Volume 13, 1989
Abstract
Report on the examination and treatment of a 15th-century altarpiece by Carlo Crivelli, La Madonna della Rondine. After the examination of the principal panel of the predella and of the frames by means of X-radiography, the following treatment was carried out: cleaning the old varnish of dust and retouching the main panel, which revealed a painting in very good condition; consolidation of the panel.
For the predella, 19th-century gilding was removed and the remains of the original gold under the accretions were exposed. The paintings appeared in good condition also, and the crack in the wood was relaxed, realigned, and consolidated. The restoration was carried out with Paraloid B-72; Ketone-N was used as a varnish. The appendix includes notes on the carving on the pilasters of the frame and a summary of some aspects of the materials and technique of the central panel and predella frames.
Keywords
altarpieces, cleaning, consolidation, gilding, gold, Paraloid B-72, radiography, retouching, wood, X-radiography
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An Altarpiece and its Frame: Carlo Crivelli's 'Madonna della Rondine', Alistair Smith, Anthony Reeve, Christine Powell and Aviva Burnstock (text-only RTF 0.19MB)
To cite this article we suggest using
Smith, A., Reeve, A., Powell, C., Burnstock, A. 'An Altarpiece and its Frame: Carlo Crivelli's "Madonna della Rondine"'. National Gallery Technical Bulletin Vol 13, pp 28–43.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/technical-bulletin/smith_reeve_powell_burnstock1989