The St. Mary banner., 1904-10-01
$4,000 PICTURE SAVED
TRANSFERRED FROM A CRACK.
:. ING PANEL TO CANVAS.

The Face Of the Secretary Of State
BotticeIii Madonna lmbcdded in II.
sue Paper and the Inch Thick Woos
en- Back Sandpapered off-The Lay
cr Of Paint Then Transferred Unr
Jured to Canvas.
A Botticell Madonna" said to
worth $4,000, but not for sale at an
price. has been saved to Mr. Hay, tn
secretary of state, by resort to
delicate operation that required per
sistent work and the most scrupulou
care and watchfulness for a year
writes the Washington correspondent
Of the New York Sun. Another paint
ing belonging to Mr.. Hay, less valu
able. perhaps, only in that some Goub
has been expressed by experts as t
whether 1t was the work of Bottice!l
or his famous master, Fra Lippo Lippl
the Carmelite, has been saved also
through similar efforts. If the cost OF
this work were added to the worth OF
the two paintings their value would
be increased greatly.
Sandro Botticelli, the Florentine
painter, died very early in the six
teenth century, so that the $4,000
work which Mr.. Hay possesses is at
least 400 years old. Llp1o Lippi died
in 146S. Both works are panels, and
it was through the cracking OF the
wood, due partly 10 age and partly to
the effects Of the extremely variable
climate OF this part OF the country,
that the destruction of these magnii-
cent products of art, each worth a
princes ransom, was threatened.
The panel known to be a Botticelii
original is Madonna in profile, the
figure full length, surrounded by host
of cherubims. This was a favcrite
study of Botticelli, and Mir. Hays gem
has all the color which made the Flor
entine master stand alone among his
competitors. The panel hung for
years upon the wall OF the main stair
way in Mr.. Hays Washington resi-
edence. facing the spacious entrance
hall.
The other panel, smaller Madonna.
developed cracks from the reverse side
that threatened to increase and in time
break through the painting itself, thus
destroying its beauty and making 1t,
from the standpoint OF art. at least.
. total loss. Slight cracks We're OBJ
served, also, in the larger painting,
and MIR. Hay, after careful inquiry, re-
solved, in the hope of saving both mas
terpieces, to resort to the delicate oper-
alton necessary to insure preservation,
which he had been informed could be
done by a man in New York.
Mr.. Hay made arrangements with
the New Yorker to undertake the
work, but before it was begun the
artist died, and Mr.. Hay was obliged
to look elsewhere for person ac-
Quainted with the process, which had
been originated in Europe and success
fully applied to the preservation Of
panel paintings of some Of the old mas
ters. He ultimately found the right
pan, whose studio was also in New
York, and to him was intrusted the
work.
As the smaller panel was in a
greater state Of deterioration, one of
the cracks having in fact extended all
the way through from back to front,
until the painting itself was effected,
the workman began his delicate COM
mission on 1t first and, meeting with !
success, started upon the larger and !
more valuable subject. The object OF |
the operator was completely to sepa-
rate the painting proper, that is the |
paint itself, from the wood upon which
1t had been placed 400 years ago, with
out in any way injuring or permitting
Il to be scratched, rubbed, cracked
or bent.
To shave off the paint without injur-
ing the picture was manifestly impos-
sible, for the thin sheet of pigment
would have broken Of its own weight
II once lifted from the backing. 1t was,
ing itself, working from the reverse
side downward through the wood until
the undercoating of the paint was
reached. How this was done is an in
teresting story.
Over the painted surface were placed
hundreds Of tiny slips Of the thinnest
tissue paper, these being held to the |
paint by watery paste with just !
eneugh adhesive power to make the
tissue stick The slips of the first
layer OF tissue were pressed down and
worked 20 as to conform correctly
to what may be called the paint
wrinkles, for Botticeln knew the ar,
OF making his pigment stand out in
relief ridges to accentuate certain
lines. Moresslips Of paper, hundreds
Of them, were pasted over the first
layer, and the fingers and thumbs Of
the operator nodded them into and
over the reliefs and the depressions
which the foundation slips had fol-
lowed. Then more slips. then larger
sheets Of the tissue, a great thickness
II them, each carefully placed, pasted
md worked over. This done, the panel
vas lifted, reversed and the matrix of
issue placed upon a prepared founda-
ion Of more sheets Of the same thin
tai l