N.º 26 2017 pp. 37-49

Article
On the recipe for a varnish used by El Greco

Michel Favre-Félix

Association pour le Respect de l'Intégrité du Patrimoine Artistique (ARIPA), Montpellier, France

favre.felix.michel@wanadoo.fr

Abstract

Research into past artistic techniques has largely considered historic varnishes in a general context. However, the question of the specific varnishing practices attributable to known painters has already given rise to remarkable studies for the 19th-20th centuries, and deserves to attract greater attention for earlier artists. In this regard, the discovery of a "recipe for a varnish used by El Greco" in a 17th-century Portuguese manuscript, published in 2010, is of significant interest. The present study situates the recipe in its historic context (c. 1550-1650), discusses the nature of its ingredients as they might have been available at the time – including the "sandaraca" resin, which has a botanical origin long since subject to confusion – and proposes a set of experimental reconstructions. The results, in terms of thickness, gloss and colour, suggest new insights into El Greco's aesthetic choices, and calls for reflection on the modern conservation practices for the re-varnishing of his works.

Keywords

El Greco
Varnish
Historical recipes
Sandarac
Restoration
Painting materials

Language

English

DOI

10.14568/cp2016023

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Citation

History

Received: 2016-11-2
Revised: 2017-3-23
Accepted: 2017-4-18
Online: 2017-6-9
Publication: 2017-11-9

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Stable url: https://doi.org/10.14568/cp2016023