The Structural Conservation of Panel Paintings

Madonna del Baldacchino (Fig. 14); for the purpose offitting it in a different

location; or to satisfy different aesthetic canons (Castelli, Parri, and

Santacesaria 1992; Filippini 1992). Also included within this group are the

countless paintings that have been dismembered, sawn, modified, or trans-

formed for commercial reasons over the centuries.

Crossbeams and “backframes”

Crossbeams or “backframes” (the latter, in Italian, telai,being basically

combinations of crossbeams and longitudinal or oblique struts, or nottole)

are present on most panel supports. Their main functions were to hold the

panel together and maintain its general planarity, especially for large or

H O  P-M T  C I 121

Figure 13
X radiograph of the nailed lateral sealing
boards in a crucifix. Giotto, Crocifisso di Santa
Maria Novella.

Figure 14
Raffael Sanzio, Madonna del Baldacchino.
Galleria Palatina, Florence. Drawing showing
the structure of a panel originally formed by
six vertical boards. In 1697 a horizontal board
was added, connected by a half-lap glued joint
and three smaller vertical nailed boards. Later
the panel was cradled.

0.5 m