Julieta Herrera Conservation

Introduction

This Italian Baroque frame, housing a reproduction of Madonna della Seggiola by Raphael Sanzio and belonging to a church, was treated at my studio. I worked on this project alongside Clare Finn, who conserved the severely damaged painting.

The outer frame is fully carved and nailed to the inner frame. Inner frame has a a running ornaments and corner ornaments around the paining.

Condition Before Treatment

The inner frame showed evidence of woodworm infestation, which appeared to be inactive. The area surrounding the missing D-ring hook for hanging exhibited significant material loss, and one mitre joint was slightly open and visible from the reverse. A uniform layer of surface soiling was present across the entire frame, which also appeared to be coated in a bronze or acrylic paint layer, possibly applied over an earlier water- or oil-gilded original scheme. There were multiple losses to the decorative ornaments, with at least eight elements missing; however, four detached fragments were available and could be reattached. No backing or conservation framing was present to protect the painting.

Treatment

The woodworm exit holes were filled using Bencon 22 (an epoxy resin for wood) on the back of the frame and gesso putty on the front. The damaged section was cut out and filled with a fragment of pine wood, which was adhered using Bencon 22. The mitred joints were found to be stable, and therefore no fills were applied to close them. The frame was dry cleaned using a vacuum cleaner and a soft brush. The acrylic overpaint layer was removed using acetone, revealing a combination of water- and oil-gilt decorative schemes in good condition; re-gilding was not necessary. The ornamental fragments were reattached using a barrier layer of hide glue followed by Bencon 22, and seven replacement fragments were carved to reintegrate the missing elements. Brown gummed tape and felt tape were added to the rebate to accommodate the painting. During treatment, a dust likely to be frass was observed, and the frame was subsequently sent to ICM facilities for a humidity-regulated warm air treatment.