Artwork of the month: "The Gamblers" restored

Hendrick ter Brugghen

Dutch, 1588-1629

"The Gamblers"

1623, oil on canvas

Restored.

Hendrick Ter Brugghen's painting, "The Gamblers," returned from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where it was restored to its original composition and color.

During the restoration, it was discovered that smalt was originally used in the painting.  Smalt (a fugitive pigment) is a transparent blue pigment made from ground glass that is colored with cobalt oxide.  Smalt will discolor from exposure to light and air, as blue will eventually appear gray, as the blue smalt turns black over time.

This exhibition documents the complete conservation process of the painting.
Saturday, May 24, 2008—Sunday, August 3, 2008

X-radiograph before restoration.

Hendrick Ter Brugghen

Dutch, 1588-1629

"The Gamblers"

1623, oil on canvas,

(post-conservation)

Hendrick Ter Brugghen

Dutch, 1588-1629

"The Gamblers"

1623, oil on canvas

(pre-conservation)

Two strips of canvas were added to the sides of the painting, extending the original dimensions of the canvas.  The extra canvas was removed, the surface was cleaned, and the pigments restored.  

The exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts details the restoration process.
Go check it out, the exhibit runs until Sunday, August 3, 2008.