Christ blessing the Children

Support:

- lime wood; three planks glued together;

- 83.2 x 121.3 cm

- widths of the planks from top to bottom: 25.8; 28.9; 28.5 cm

- thickest point: 1.7 cm

- reverse exhibits marks from a plane

- the edges are beveled with a c. 1 cm wide rebate

Ground

- whitish and consists of chalk in animal glue (thickness c. 200 u) [1]

- impregnated with oil

- x-radiograph shows the presence of fibres in the ground: silk (?)

- the ground stops about 1 cm short of the edge of the panel

[1) Samples were taken from the bottom edge of the painting

- an underdrawing is not readily visible

- difficult to establish whether or not the black bands painted c. 1.5 cm from the edge of the panel are original

Identified pigments:

Blue: azurite

Green: Malachite, Cu-resinate

Yellow: Yellow ochre

Reds: vermilion, lead red, madder

Blacks: bone-black, iron black (reddish black iron pigment)

White: lead white

Medium: drying oil base

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

Analysis results.

Blue: azurite; Green: Malachite, Cu-resinate; Yellow: Yellow ochre; Reds: vermilion, lead red, madder; Blacks: bone-black, iron black (reddish black iron pigment); White: lead white

Medium: drying oil base

Christ’s blue robe:

Lead white and bone black

Azurite and lead white (1:1)

Blue robe far left:

Lead white and bone black

Azurite (possibly with some lead white)

Light blue far left:

Lead white and bone black

Lead white and some azurite and traces of a red pigment (vermilion?)

Boy's green robe [left):

Malachite and bone black

Malachite and lead white

Copper resinate

Christ’s hair:

Yellowish pigment containing iron (ochre) with some bone black and traces of vermilion (?)

Black background:

A thin layer of bone black (?)

Off-white of boy’s robe (bottom right):

Lead white with bone black

Lead white

Grey hood, woman at the back (right):

Single layer of lead white and bone black

Christ’s neck: flesh paint:

A single layer of lead white and yellow ochre with some dark reddish iron pigments and traces of blue pigment, probably azurite

Face of woman at the back (right):

As above

Dark red robe of woman (left of centre):

Bone black

red lead with traces of vermilion

Madder (red lake)

Red robe of woman (right of centre:

Vermilion with some reddish black iron pigments

Madder (red lake)

Red robe of boy (bottom right):

Vermilion with traces of reddish black iron pigment

Madder (red lake)

Robe of woman (far right):

Single layer of red lead with some vermilion and traces of dark reddish iron pigment

Highlights on some of the folds executed with a yellowish lead pigment (?)

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

Identification of wood species: lime wood

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

- support made of three planks, glued horizontal

- plough traces on the reverse

- fibre material between support and ground

- white ground

[ Stein, Wedvik, unpublished examination report 2009]

Summary of report in pdf:

Support:

• the joins are clearly visible with a crack visible in the paint layers

• the planks are warped to create a slight washboard effect

• there are two battens fixed at either end of the panel (4 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick); these are attached with brass screws (1931)

• a wax coating covers both the reverse and the battens

• strips of cloth and fillings are visible on the reverse

Recto: seven open worm holes

• the top of the panel was extended by a c. 3 cm wide batten to fit it into the present frame. It was fixed with modern nails and not glued.

Paint Layers:

• Cracking in the paint layers, particularly extensive in the paint layers of the upper plank and generally in the direction of the grain.

• there is a large crack present to the right of the arm and breast of the woman feeding her child.

• Minimal flaking

• Fine network of cracks spread over the entire surface.

• Some indentations where the paint appears to have sunk (could not be established whether original or later)

• Retouches, black lines either end (may be original or have been added later (?))

• Some overpaint; originally 29 figures, one is overpainted

Surface Coatings:

• Thick and yellowed varnish layers

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

Treatment report (summary of report in pdf)

• No structural work was performed

• Consolidation of flaking paint with bone glue

• After test cleaning two layers of varnish were removed with a solution of turpentine in alcohol (1:1); the discrete gallery tone layer was removed with wax paste mixed with ammonia (50g. bees wax, 150 ml. turpentine, 45 ml. ammonia and 30 ml. water)

• Most of the old lead-white fillings were good enough to be retained. Other losses were filled with a mixture of 100g chalk, 50 cm3 glue substance 1:5 added to 10 g wax paste (bees wax, oil lacquer, linseed oil)

• Retouching with oil (diluted with turpentine)

• Retouching varnish AV2 added to 5% mastix

• Final varnish Le Franc Blanc.

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

No report only photographs (mentioned in the attached pdf)