sistine ceiling restoration seminar

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The Restoration of The Sistine Ceiling

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Page 1: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

The Restoration of The Sistine Ceiling

Page 2: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

HISTORY OF THE SISTINE CEILING

Sistine Chapel built 1477-1480 by Pope Sixtus IV Ceiling originally decorated with starry firmament in

gold and ultramarine Pope Julis II commissions new ceiling decoration from

Michelangelo in 1508 Work begins July 1508 and finishes October 1512

Pope Julius II Ordering Bramante, Michelangelo and Rapahel to Construct

the Vatican and St Peter’s, Horace Vernet, 1827, www.1st-art-gallery.com

Page 3: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

BUON FRESCO: PLASTER PREPARATION

1. Produce lime (CaO) by burning calcium carbonate (CaCO3) with wood in a kiln

2. Slake lime with water to form calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2)

3. Mix lime with sand or pozzolana (volcanic ash) to form intonaco

4. Spread intonaco over arriccio layer

5. Ca(OH)2 reacts with CO2 and lime reverts to CaCO3

From top: CaO (product-image.tradeindia.com), slaked lime (www.shivamchemicals.in), and pozzolana (www.easybonzai.it)

Page 4: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

BUON FRESCO: WALL PAINTING

While intonaco is still wet, cartoon of design is transferred onto the wall

Pigments mixed with water applied and allowed to dry with plaster

Pentimenti (corrections) applied a secco (dry) Pigments mixed with

animal glue, egg yolk or resin

Detail, ‘The Creation of Adam,’ 1510, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/Befor

eandAfter.html

Page 5: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

EARLY DETERIORATION

Unstable underlying soil 1504, South wall bows out Giuliano da Sangallo inserts iron rods into vault

and under floor Salt efflorescence and mould outbreak in

1509 (‘The Flood’) Candles, incense burners, braziers, etc used

during and immediately after completion Giovio describes lunettes darkening in 1525

and further salt efflorescence in 1546

Page 6: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

THE DETERIORATION CONTINUES

Nearly 500 years of burning candles and Papal elections

Past conservation / cleaning efforts Inner-city pollutants (sulphur, nitrogen, chlorides) Thousands of daily visitors

Microclimate rises by around 5°C Convective current carries dust to fresco surface

‘Daniel,’ 1511, upload.wikimedia.org

Page 7: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

CONSERVATION PRIOR TO 1980

1543, office of mundator (cleaner) created by Vatican

1565-71, Domenico Carnevale plasters and repaints sections

1625, Simane Lagi dusts and scrubs with slices of bread

1710-12, Annibale Mazzuoli cleans with Greek wine and sponges

1904, Louis Seitz seals and consolidates plaster

1920s-30s Biagio Biagetti undertakes further consolidation

1964-74, Deoclecio Redig de Campos cleans frescoes on side walls

1975, vault made water proof

Page 8: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

THE VATICAN RESTORATION: PREPARATION

1. Around April 1980, Papal Museums, Monuments and Galleries’ Laboratory for the Restoration of Paintings begins study of fresco

2. Surface explored with daylight, quartz lamp, UV, IR and sodium monochromatic light

3. Plaster samples tested at Vatican’s Scientific Research Laboratory using IR spectrometry, thin-layer chromatography, liquid chromatography and absorption spectrophotometry (pigments)

Page 9: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

CONSERVATION PROCEDURE, 1980-1989

Wet cleaning with AB57, ammonium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and 10% solution of Desogen suspended in a carboxymethyl cellulose gel. Applied for three minutes,

rinsed with distilled water. 24 hours later the process was repeated.

Salt efflorescence treated with AB57 to which dimethylformamide was added, then rinsed with distilled water

Detail, ‘Joel,’ 1509, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/Befor

eandAfter.html

Page 10: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

MORE CONSERVATION PROCEDURE

Consolidation of loose intonaco with Vinnapas (PVA-PVC terpolymer of ethylene) and of a secco passages with Paraloid B72 3% in organic solvent

Infilling of gaps and cracks with stucco romano (mixture of lime, marble dust or grit)

Inpainting of missing passages with watercolours applied in vertical brushstrokes

Detail, ‘The Creation of Adam,’ 1510, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/Before

andAfter.html

Page 11: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

CONTROVERSY WRIT LARGE

The Vatican Conservators Team

The James Beck Corner

Vatican conservator cleaning ‘Jonah’ (1511), photograph by Vittoriano Rastelli, media-

2.web.britannica.com

James Beck, www.artsjournal.com

Page 12: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

PRIMARY ISSUES Europe vs America Science vs Art History Mannerist colour vs

terribilitá Beck claims glue layer

was original, l’ultima mano

Feldman claims chiaroscuro and definition was removed

Mancinelli and Colalucci claim a secco touches limited to the lunettes Glue layer added during

prior restorations

Detail, ‘Azor and Zadok,’ 1512, lunette, www.students.sbc.edu

Page 13: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

‘Ancestors of Christ,’ 1511, upload.wikimedia.org

Page 14: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

Detail, ‘Ignudi,’ 1510, http://msopal29.myweb.uga.edu/BeforeandAfter.html

Page 15: Sistine Ceiling Restoration Seminar

That wasn’t so hard…Not at all. Paint the back wall next, will you, old chap?

T H A N K Y O U