Restoring the Gallery's oldest painting | Behind the scenes in Conservation | National Gallery

Kristina Mandy shows the steps involved in restoring a painting that is over 750-years-old.
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The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The museum is free of charge and open 361 days per year, daily between 10.00 am - 6.00 pm and on Fridays between 10.00 am - 9.00 pm.
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[@IncongruousFox]

I only have one complaint - make the videos longer! I really enjoy learning about the conservation process and the history of the works, and I would love to hear the conservators go more into depth about the reasoning behind their choices and the steps they took.

[@dmcgee3]

I’d recommend the channel Baumgartner Restoration. Everything you’ve asked for he covers

[@jacekolender1139]

@@dmcgee3 Baumgartner's work goes against professional standards of conservation. The NG conservators are among the best in the world. There is no equivalence.

[@gleelee2008]

@@jacekolender1139 YES, thank you for posting this comment, as tho I love watching and listening to him, as I was imagining HIM working on this, i immediately understood that he has a different set of criteria, much? different than NG's. wish to learn more about this, if you would be open to sharing links/info. tho i can guess at: preserve the aged look of the work to the highest degree, as one tenet?

[@cutienerdgirl]

@@jacekolender1139 They didn't compare Baumgartner and NG, they recommended him for longer Art Restoration videos. Also, I would like to know where you're getting the information from that his work is unprofessional because he seems to be a very detailed and good job. He also stresses that conservators follow the top conservation guidelines.

[@FlourescentPotato]

@@dmcgee3 He is a commercial worker who shouldn't be compared to the museum-grade conservation shown on this channel.

[@anne-mariehuggon4552]

Can we 'revisit' the painting from time to time to see how the restoration is progressing, please?

[@leora_in_london]

Forever in awe of conservators!

[@graphite2786]

I'm also a restorer...but only of frames, mainly commercial and domestic. I wish I had unlimited time like you have! Most clients want the restoration done yesterday! If we do get an historically important frame, we tend to make a reproduction of it for the client and reframe and leave the original as is. The provenance of the aging is very important;, old glass for example, with all its bubbles and discoloration, is still a significant artifact. However you can see the art work refreshed and revitalised when rehomed under pristine new artglass. Personally I would love to see a reproduction of this work restored to as it was when first painted. To show all the details of the work that the centuries have erased. With the way technology is progressing, one day we will have 3d printers on a nanoscale that could reproduce the smallest brushstrokes in 3 dimensions. How wonderful would it be to see the original time ravaged painting next to a 21st century copy rendered just as the artist created it.

[@billhaigney5080]

That is a Capitol idea! If Conservators don't wish to, say restore the Azurite blue in one of the frames, then Make a Copy with all the colors as the artist painted them originally, so people have a much better idea of the original look!

[@jhb1493]

Thank you for sharing this, National Gallery - and thank you so much to Kristina and her coworkers. Their efforts to preserve and protect these beautiful works of art for us, and for those generations to come, are so important and appreciated.

[@owenbarnes773]

thank you ... another brilliant National Gallery project

[@michaelfaulkner6607]

Please make another video revealing the painting restored. Thank you. This was fascinating.

[@geoffreykeane4072]

Thankyou, I like this format. Great presentation.

[@278iota]

Amazing! I learned a ton! Art conservation is so cool!

[@tfairy7499]

I absolutely love art conservation videos like this! Its so interesting! 💕

[@susanhepburn6040]

Thank you very much.

[@gerryholden]

Interesting, informative, engaging; just what we want in lockdown. Thank you.

[@jeanneblondewomanstamping9788]

I love learning about the conservation process and the decisions that go into conservation strategy for a particular piece. Thank you. 🙏

[@vivette8944]

Very well presented.

[@liviia305]

Marvelous. Thank you for engaging in this important and wonderful work.

[@davidstevens7018]

I agree with Cait as 9 minutes is far too short considering the Art presenters get 30 minutes ; some of us are seriously interested 👍

[@MrY1313]

Thank you!

[@MademoiselleNuna]

I would love to see more content like this video. It's such a laborious process!

[@lususlove]

She did a great job 💙

[@petenicholson1323]

Another fascinating video. You have amazing patience. Thanks Kristina and everyone who put this insight together

[@theviper1999uk]

Amazing video! So much to learn in a painting, so many peoples lives intersecting who never met, but all conserve the same painting. Thank you for your work and insight into this mysterious process!

[@laurinbartel640]

Thank you so much. Das Video ist faszinierend. Wir erhalten Einblicke in Ikonographie, Restauration und nicht zuletzt Hängung. Es ist beeindruckend, mit welcher Professionalität in diesem Haus gearbeitet wird.

[@DV-dt9sq]

FANTASTIC!! 🏵️🏵️🏵️ THANK YOU.

[@queerulantin6431]

So interesting! Thank you

[@naedolor]

MORE. MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREEEE!!!!!!!

[@MrSteamDragon]

What a fascinating and rewarding vocation.

[@janecarleton8013]

Fabulous work, on such a beautiful piece of art.

[@stevenedwards4470]

I think it's pretty amazing that a painting so old can be attributed to a specific artist. His history and the story of the acquisition would have been interesting too.

[@songOmatic]

Thank you so much for defining 'cotton swab' for us! 👏👏👏😋 Just kidding, great content!

[@maurizio7209]

Grazie!

[@opera93]

Thanks, unusually interesting......interestingly, some of my paintings/creations have changed over some 40 years, and/or were incompatible, etc. ....nice to see the ages shown......

[@meggallucci5300]

Very interesting.

[@davidevans3227]

..and doing all this with a view to the future, that maybe others will come along with different/better techniques.. fascinating, thankyou..

[@MeaveChan]

I just came from the conversion reveal video and hanging. Seeing where it came from is really interesting.

[@williamconcepcion4635]

Excellent example

[@cowboyhenkcomic7677]

a note about the subtitles: when she says about the painting methods: 'egg tempera', it is translated as 'egg tempura', a Japanese way of deep frying...

[@jeanross7430]

I would love to have been a conservator, maybe in my next life.

[@robinbest4786]

Ms Mandy, would you recommend the headband magnifier that you use ?

[@mountainman9167]

Love the Titian next to you

[@dcaudinmj1321]

My last seen like totally same that image at the house of the sisters like churches year 1999 like nun in the province of Philippines❤

[@rexroganblat2690]

It would seem if you do a good job that you don't need to make it "reversible". I think the painter would have appreciated your hard work, even applauded it.

[@ummherekittykitty6988]

❤ wow. that really is amazing, especially the painstaking and exacting care and attention to every possible detail :) also, i like that cute lil dragon in the far lower right, and would like to have it, so if the museum decides to make and sell temporary, but quality long lasting temporary tattoos of it, maybe in the gift shop or something, please notify me so i can buy a handful (maybe more if i get a bundle discount price) :)

[@massimosquecco203]

Hi Cristina. Did you know that "Mandy" means "Hello" in Friulano ( not sure if written with an I or with a Y...)?

[@StrawberryLegacy]

Those poor sea creatures. This is why I'm so paranoid about only using lightfast paints 😂 Though the highest ratings are usually at 100+ years, not 700+ years, lol. Also no one's gonna look at my art in the future anyway... but okay. Who knows. In case they do, I damn well want them to see my sea creatures!

[@RealSalica]

If you don't restore the inscriptions ,they might disappear , aren't they ?

[@nicolajaner3808]

Is there anything that can be done about the blue azurite that degraded, hiding the sea creatures?

[@janeknight3597]

Was it actually necessary to remove the c19 gilding? Surely this had become part of the story of the painting over the last century however much it does not appeal to our current taste?

[@nationalgallery]

Hi Jane, no, it was not necessary for the painting’s longevity for the 19th century re-gilding to be removed. The 19th century restorers made a subjective decision to remove the original gilding and replace it with new, solid gold. We are also making a subjective decision: to remove this re-gilding and offer a different interpretation that we believe is more sympathetic to the rest of the painting. Often old restorations are retained, especially when they add value to the knowledge or history of a painting. We made this decision as we felt that there was a disunity between the frame and the rest of the painting, and our plan is to restore it in a way that is more in keeping with similar works that are in better condition, and will allow the frame to be reunited with the painting aesthetically. Thanks

[@Trixtah]

other than the fact, as they state, it doesn't look in keeping with the original work at all. It adds nothing, and detracts plenty. The worst thing, by far, is that awful red border obscuring the beautiful detail that was originally in that area. It's going to look so much better when complete.

[@gleelee2008]

@@nationalgallery I'm extremely curious as to the original background color which is now a lovely stained yellow, was it once white? would it ever be considered: removing old varnish and restoring brightness? (tho the red gown looks pretty vibrant!). if not, why? in the video you can see close-up parts of it and it looks caked with grime/old varnish, etc..

[@stinew358]

I love that the sea creatures are astrological

[@oksanatulpa7984]

I have restored monuments from 1981 officially thank you a lot /

[@petenicholson1323]

I have t shirts older than that :)

[@sassyalbatross2933]

Ide rather see a painting as it was originally meant to be seen

[@renzo6490]

The National Gallery is in London. The National Gallery of Art is in Washington DC. Watching, I was curious to know the fate of the gilding that was removed from the frame.

[@Baronstone]

Thrown away with the rest of the trash. I mean you do understand that you're talking about $50 worth of gold at the very most, don't you?

[@bkenglandUTube]

I'm puzzled. Why did we see only part of the restoration process here?

[@k.s.k.7721]

Probably because it's been worked on for years already, and will continue to be restored for several more. They have to stop work whenever there's a issue that needs to be discussed on the preservation of the wood, gesso, paints; as well as the overall aesthetics and ultimate goals, etc. And this is only one of many works that are being restored at the same time. I've seen videos on restoring museum tapestries that can take up to 30 + years to complete. It takes as long as it takes.

[@austind3459]

I am thinking it should remain more of a relic..

[@k.s.k.7721]

That's what they are trying to accomplish, with the goal of allowing to remain intact for another 750 years. Nothing lasts forever, and this old painting will continue to flake and deteriorate over time, so preserving it and repairing damage from sunlight, moisture, pollution and simple age is an ongoing process.

[@wierdo225]

Why compleatly remove 19th century guilding, to reapply new guilding with an aged look? Couldnt you have just aged the original reguild?

[@Contact_Info]

Robots will restore paintings in 90 years.