that ofRaphael’sMadone de Lorette,treated in 1977, in the Musée Condé,
Chantilly. For the TarasconPietà,a v ery precious and rare painting of the
French fifteenth century, it was decided simply to place a cleat on the
wood at the beginning of the split rather than to do a V-shaped incision
and inlay. After regular surveillance and an eventual determination of the
fragility of the painting, it was decided to fit aperimetric châssis-cadre
instead of adhering crossbars and cleats to the back of that important art-
work. A system of perimetric reinforcement following the exact contour
ofthe painting was enough to mitigate the risks resulting from the
inevitable handling.
Raphael’s La Madone de Lorettefrom the Musée Condé, Chantilly,
was treated in a similar manner (Bergeon 1979:48–49). The unevenness
of a split required a V-shaped incision and inlay rather than just a cleat.
Before crossbars were attached, the frame ofLa Madone de Lorette(eve n
though not original) was adapted by the insertion of a brass perimeter
frame shaped to follow the warp of the panel and lined with felt on the
side of the painting. The edges of the frame had to be thickened so that
it could receive the crossbars, which were also contoured, lined with felt,
and fixed only to the frame.
The desire to maintain what exists and to reuse an old system by
making it functional prevailed in the restorations carried out from 1978
to 1986 on Rubens’s large Sainte Hélèneat the Hospice de Grasse. The for-
mer glued stretcher, thick and offine-quality walnut, was unglued and its
crossbars hollowed and equipped with aluminum slats sliding over Teflon
rollers fitted with cleats glued to the panel. It now constitutes a mobile
support system (Bergeon 1990:39–40).280 Bergeon, Emile-Mâle, Huot, and Baÿ
Figure 17
Florence, Christ au tombeau,fifteenth century.
Reverse, detail. Musée du Petit-Palais (inv.
20253), Avignon. Screws placed in elongated
holes; the mobile framework allows for the
normal play of the wood, even if certain ele-
ments are across the grain.
Figure 16
Titian, Le Couronnement d’épines,sixteenth
century. Reverse. Louvre Museum (inv. 748),
Paris. Châssis-cadre. The perimetric stretcher
of Bakelized wood has crossbars reinforced
with Bakelized wood, which are attached to
the frame. Cleats fitted with Teflon cylinders
allow the crossbars to slide. The very large
painting was too thin to support itself and
required more than a perimetric support.