Winter 2023

Elizabeth Wicks. “First, the removal of the thick
layers of oil paint applied by Il Volterrano less
than five decades after the original could put
Artemisia’s delicate glazes just underneath
the over-paint at risk. Second, the veils were
applied by an important late Baroque artist
and are now part of the painting’s history.
Restoration scientists probed the painting at
sixteen depths, nanometer by nanometer. The
reflectograph penetrated the upper drapery,
and we could see Artemisia’s pentimenti –
the places in which she changed her mind. It
took an x-ray to see through the white lead
pigment covering the figure’s thighs – but, in
the end, we got it: a science-based image of
Artemisia’s original.”
Top: Detail during cleaning in UV Fluorescence showing dark repaints on flesh
Above: Installation view of the exhibition
THE REVEAL
Research and chemical analysis allowed
Artemisia UpClose team members to identify
Artemisia’s pigments and painting technique.
Conservators learned, for instance, that she was
sparing with her precious lapis lazuli pigment.
It was more costly than gold at the time, and
Artemisia used very little of it on the parts of the
blue sky which would later be covered by the
architectural framework of the Casa Buonarroti
gallery ceiling. Removal of centuries of grime
and repainting revealed the figure’s navel – not
visible previously – and on the figure’s calf,
Wicks discovered a fingerprint dating back to
the painting’s creation “The fingerprint was
made when the original paint was wet, and it
is highly likely that of Artemisia herself.” Before
completing work on the painted surface, a full
structural conservation of the painting was
carried out.
Because the painting has been displayed
‘belly-down’ on the ceiling since its creation
50 Restoration Conversations • Winter 2023