| Judith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Giorgione |
| Year | circa 1504 |
| Type | Oil on canvas (transferred frompanel) |
| Dimensions | 144 cm × 66.5 cm (57 in × 26.2 in) |
| Location | Hermitage,Saint Petersburg |
Judith is a painting by the Italian painterGiorgione, executed around 1504. It is one of the few authentic works by Giorgione owned by theRussianHermitage Museum.[1] The painting, originally attributed toRaphael, came to the Hermitage in 1772 fromParis.[1] Like many other paintings, it refers to theJudith and Holofernes motif.
In the late 19th century, a thick layer of dark yellowvarnish coveredJudith, which completely distorted the original painting; in addition, restorations conducted at different times had falsified the artist's intentions.[1] In 1839 the Hermitage restorer A. Sidorov accuratelytransferred the painting from panel to canvas. In 1967 it was decided to clean it, and the task was entrusted to A.M. Malova, a highly qualified restorer under the supervision of A.V. Brianzev, head of the easel paintings restoration workshop. General control consisted of experts fromLeningrad andMoscow.[1]
The painting was first thoroughly studied withUV rays andbinocular microscope. UV andinfrared images were taken, as well asX-rays. The examination showed that most of the damage was on the grass, ground and trunk. The old repaints covered broader areas than was necessary to restore the inflicted areas. The varnish was removed with a cotton tampon wetted in a special solution; other additional material was cleaned out using a very sharp scalpel under a microscope. Between two and six cm2 of original painting was restored per day.
The restoration was finished in 1971. The paints became bright and deep, and a tower and hilly landscape on the background were revealed.
Media related toJudith (Giorgione) at Wikimedia Commons