Conserving the Giovanni di Paolo Altarpiece

Follow the two-year-long conservation treatment of the Madonna and Child with Saints altarpiece (1454) by Giovanni di Paolo.

Michael Gallagher

Cynthia Moyer

, and

Evan Read

April 8, 2021

8 min. watch

Follow the two-year-long conservation treatment of the Madonna and Child with Saints altarpiece (1454) by Giovanni di Paolo, which hadn’t been treated since it came into The Met collection in 1932. Watch the conservators as they remove discolored varnish, old overpaints, overgildings, and reconstructions, retouch paint losses and ingild abrasions, and replace missing and damaged frame elements. The treated altarpiece is now on view in Gallery 624 in the recently reopened European Paintings galleries.

Managing Producer: Kate Farrell
Producer: Sarah Cowan
Editor: Alex Guns
Camera: Alex Guns and Stephanie Wuertz
Additional Camera: Wayne de la Roche
Production Coordinator: Bryan Martin
Production Assistant: Anna Oehlkers
Original Music: Austin Fisher

Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies

Contributors

Michael Gallagher
Sherman Fairchild Chairman, Department of Paintings Conservation

Cynthia Moyer
Associate Conservator, Paintings Conservation

Evan Read
Manager of Technical Documentation, Paintings Conservation

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