Category: Conservation
Prado Conserve Van Orley
February 25 2026
Video: Prado via Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Prado in Madrid have published the following video on their Instagram page regarding the recent restoration of Bernaert van Orley's The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John.
Spinello Aretino Triptych Restored
February 24 2026
Video: Siena News
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence have unveiled their recently conserved triptych by Spinello Aretino. The most recent campaign of restoration, which began in 2024, will be the focus of a temporary exhibition in the gallery which runs from today until 11th May 2026.
Technical Analysis & Restoration of Dieppe Courbet
February 18 2026
Picture: C2RMF
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news from last year that a conservation and restoration project of Gustave Courbet's portrait of Paul Ansout, owned by the Dieppe Château-musée, has revealed several hidden secrets. This includes recent x-rays which have revealed a painted over sketch of the sitter which the artist had abandoned and restarted once the canvas was flipped around. Click on the link above to read more.
Sistine Chapel Last Judgement being Restored
February 4 2026
Video: Rome Reports in English
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Sistine Chapel's Last Judgement by Michelangelo, part of the tourist route in the Vatican which approximately 6.7m visitors see every year, is undergoing a three month 'restoration' project. Scaffolding has been erected, and a reproduction on cloth put in its stead, in order to remove 'a widespread whitish veil' from the fresco. Presumably, considering the relatively short time scale involved, conservators will be dusting!
Colantonio Restored
February 3 2026
Picture: capodimonte.cultura.gov.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Naples that Colantonio's St. Francis delivering the rule to the Franciscan orders has been restored. The picture, which is in the collection of the Museo di Capodimonte, has been conserved as part of commemorations of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis. Click on the link above to see more details supplied by the museum.
Tintoretto's Genesis at the Gallerie dell'Accademia
February 3 2026
Picture: Gallerie dell'Accademia
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice will be opening an exhibition focusing on the recently restored Genesis paintings by Tintoretto later this month (following on from the 2025 show in Cincinnati). The display will focus on learnings from the restoration project and new research undertaken on the works. It will run from 11th February until 7th June 2026.
Rediscovered Guido Reni Revealed Today
January 30 2026
Picture: C2RMF
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned rediscovered and restored Guido Reni of Atalanta and Hippomenes will be unveiled to the public today at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Libourne. It seems that an official photograph of the painting after restoration is yet to emerge. More news as and when it arrives.
Dresden Rubens to be restored with TEFAF Fund
January 28 2026
Picture: Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Rubens' The Boar Hunt, located in the collection the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, has been announced as the recipient of this year's TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund (TMRF). The restored painting is expected to be unveiled at the forthcoming 2027 exhibition entitled Rubens in Dresden.
According to Artdaily.com's article linked above:
With TEFAF’s funding, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister will restore The Boar Hunt (1616-18), a monumental painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). This work was most likely acquired directly from the artist in 1627 by George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, before becoming part of the imperial collection in Prague. In 1749, it entered the collection of Frederick Augustus IIof Saxony and has remained in Dresden ever since, surviving wartime displacement to the USSR in 1945, a decade in storage in Moscow, and eventual return to Dresden in the mid-1950s.
The Boar Hunt is obscured by a thick, darkened multi-layered varnish (likely 19th-century) that mutes Rubens’ original palette. Technical imaging has also confirmed the presence of an upper extension into which the original underdrawing does not continue, raising key questions about when the extension was made and by whom. Early evidence suggests the addition may have been made under Rubens’ direction, while ongoing research will explore possible contributions from artists in his circle, including Jan Wildens, Lucas van Uden, or Anthony van Dyck.
Quinten Massijs Joiners Guild Altarpiece Restored
January 15 2026
Picture: KMSKA
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Antwerp that the Joiners Guild Altarpiece by Quinten Massijs, owned by the The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), has been restored. The project, which lasted 4 years, has ended with the painting being redisplayed in the museum's galleries. More details as and when they are published online.
Lorenzo di Bicci to be Conserved
January 14 2026
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the State Archives of Prato will be restoring their Lorenzo di Bicci of a Holy Bishop with Donors, which notably includes portraits of the merchant Francesco Datini and his wife Margherita. €20,000 has been raised for the project. Click on the link above to read more about the history of the artwork.
Attributed to Rubens Head with Second Face
January 14 2026
Picture: artnet.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnet.com have published a story relating to a head study of an Old Man attributed to Rubens which is being unveiled at the BRAFA fair in Brussels by dealer Klaas Muller. Acquired at auction a few years ago for €100,000, the head study (which relates to a finished Rubens in the Prado and is often repeated by other hands) curiously features another face which was painted over during the process of its creation. Click on the link to read the full story.
Conservation Internships in Cleveland
January 14 2026
Picture: Cleveland Museum of Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Cleveland Museum of Art are inviting applications for paid Internships in both the Conservation of Paintings and Picture Frames.
According to the job description for the Paintings role:
The conservation department of the Cleveland Museum of Art welcomes applications for a graduate third- or fourth-year internship in Paintings Conservation for the period September 2026-August 2027. The intern will join a collaborative and convivial team in caring for, studying, and treating paintings from the Museum’s encyclopedic and renowned collection. The CMA maintains a full schedule of loans, rotations, and exhibitions, with associated assessment, documentation and treatment needs. The conservation department is also committed to ongoing research and investigation of paintings in the collection.
Both positions are paid and applications must be in by 26th January and 6th February 2026 respectively. Please click on the links above for the full terms and conditions.
Good luck if you're applying!
Louvre clean Titian's Entombment of Christ
January 12 2026
Video: Louvre via Facebook
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre's recent campaigns of painting conservation are moving on apace. The video above provides some details of the recent conservation of Titian's The Entombment of Christ which was recently treated by C2RMF (Centre for Research and Restoration of Museums of France). Click here to see some photos of how the painting looked previously (scrolling backwards through the photos). It's a good job that the unsightly canvas extension on the upper margin is hidden by the frame!
Colnaghi Cleans Sorolla
December 30 2025
Picture: @colnaghi1760 via Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The dealers Colnaghi have shared some rather pleasing before and after photos of the recently cleaned Little Elena at her Desk by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida.
According to their post:
Exhibited internationally between 1901 and 1911, the work was reproduced in Hispania as Portrait of my daughter and remained in the Sorolla family collection.
Conserve Paintings at the Hamilton Kerr Institute
December 30 2025
Picture: cam.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The University of Cambridge and the Hamilton Kerr Institute are hiring a Conservator of Easel Paintings.
According to the job description:
We are seeking a Conservator of Easel Paintings to join our expert team. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of conservation while safeguarding the treasures of the past. Working closely with the Director, you will teach and supervise postgraduate students in conservation theory and practical techniques to the highest professional standards. You will examine, document and carry out conservation treatments on easel paintings and other painted surfaces, including polychrome sculpture, ensuring work of the very highest quality.
The job comes with a salary of between £42,254-£56,535 pro rata and applications must be in by 11th January 2026.
Good luck if you're applying!
Sustermans Cosimo III de’ Medici being Conserved
December 23 2025
Picture: phoebusfoundation.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Phoebus Foundation in Belgium have published an interesting article on the conservation of Justus Sustermans’ Portrait of Cosimo III de’ Medici as a Child. For more information and pleasing mid-clean photos click on link above.
Griffoni Polyptych Reconstruction
December 19 2025
Video: 12Porte
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Bologna that the Griffoni Polyptych, a large fifteenth century altarpiece which was dispersed in the early-eighteenth century, has been 'reconstructed' in in the Basilica of San Petronio. The panels, undertaken by Ercole de' Roberti and Francesco del Cossa, are now dispersed in museums across the globe and have been reunited in this modern reconstruction with the help of reproductions.
Pietro Antonio Ferro Fresco Restored in Polla
December 16 2025
Video: InfoCliento
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
An early 17th century fresco attributed to Pietro Antonio Ferro in the Franciscan Sanctuary of San Antonio in Polla has been conserved and revealed to the public. The scene, depicting The Descent into Hell, is located in the same church where in 2010 a statue of Saint Anthony was found to be shedding tears.
14th Century Fresco Restored in Florence
December 12 2025
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that a 14th century fresco by Master of the Rinuccini Chapel in church of Sant'Ambrogio, Florence, has been restored. The project was undertaken by Cristina Napolitano and supported financially by the Friends of Florence.
Restoration on View at the Royal Palace of Caserta
December 12 2025
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Visitors to the Royal Palace of Caserta will be able to see the 'live' restoration of a monumental canvas by Ilario Giacinto Mercanti showing Elisabetta Farnese leaving Parma after her marriage to Philip V of Spain. The work is being sponsored in-part by a film company called Eagle Pictures who used one of the halls in the Palace for filming earlier in the year.
