Restoration of Rubens’ Enthroned Madonna completed at KMSKA
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The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) has completed the restoration of Peter Paul Rubens’ Enthroned Madonna Surrounded by Saints, one of the highlights of its collection. The two-year project took place in the Rubens Gallery, in the specially created Studio Rubens, where visitors were able to watch the process.
The monumental altarpiece, painted in 1628 for the main altar of Antwerp’s Augustinian Church, is a key work of the Counter-Reformation. The restoration has brought back the vivid colours and details of the 400-year-old canvas, in part by removing a yellowed varnish.
Modern techniques, including macro-XRF scanning, also revealed hidden layers and alterations made by Rubens and his studio.
“While it’s generally thought that Rubens made preliminary studies for his monumental altarpieces and the studio executed them, with this work, it turned out to be the opposite,” the KMSKA said.
“Some studies of the Enthroned Madonna were likely made by staff, as revealed after a study day with the University of Antwerp. Conversely, a panel of experts concluded that Rubens largely painted the actual work himself. This sheds new light on how his studio operated.”
The conclusion of the project is not the end of Studio Rubens. The museum will immediately begin work on another major restoration of his work: the Adoration of the Magi. Visitors will again be able to watch the restoration in action.
The masterpiece is expected to be ready for Rubens Year 2027, a celebration of the 450th anniversary of the painter, designer and diplomat’s birth.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO KMSKA
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