The Structural Conservation of Panel Paintings

308 Rothe and Marussich

Figure 2
Examples of crossbars showing progressive
reduction in size. (a) Crossbar used in 1975 on
the Annunciationby Guglielmo di Pietro de
Marcillat, Convent of S. Francesco, Sargiano,
Arezzo; the panel is 150 cm wide, the crossbar
7.5 cm wide. (b) Crossbars used in 1988 on
the Nativityby Girolamo di Benvenuto, The
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the panel
is 161 cm wide, the crossbars 4.5 cm wide.
(c) Crossbars used in 1989 on The Birth of
Bacchusby Giulio Romano, The J. Paul Getty
Museum; the panel is 80 cm wide, the cross-
bars 3.2 cm wide. (d) Crossbars used in 1987
on The Card Playersby Joos van Crasbeeck,
The J. Paul Getty Museum; the panel is
31.1 cm wide, the crossbars 2.7 cm wide. (e) If
crossbars were to be placed on The Card
Players today, a smaller version (1.8 cm wide)
would be used. (f) Crossbars used in 1990 on
The Abduction of Proserpine by Alessandro
Allori, The J. Paul Getty Museum; the panel is
228 cm wide, the crossbars 3.3 cm wide.

e

d

c

b

a

forms on the back of old panels (consisting primarily ofcompacted wood

cells and accumulated dirt).

In the Florentine approach to rejoining panels, the precision with

which the work is carried out is key to the success of the treatment. This

approach is described as risanamento delle tavole,“making panels sound

again.” The pivotal task is to cut precise V-shaped grooves of approxi-

Figure 3, below
Girolamo di Benvenuto, Nativity,ca. 1500.
Reverse. Tempera on panel, 204 3 161 cm.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. A
heavy cradle is glued to the panel, which had
been thinned to less than 12 mm. This inter-
vention dates to about 1900.

Figure 4, abov e

Girolamo di Benvenuto, Nativity. Detail. This

raking-light photograph shows distortions and

cracks on the surface caused by the thinning

of the panel and the restraint of the heavy

cradle.

f