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El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) El Greco (painter) Greek, 1541 - 1614 The Holy Family with Saint Anne and the Infant John the Baptist, c. 1595/1600 oil on canvas Overall: 53.2 x 34.4 cm (20 15/16 x 13 9/16 in.) framed: 73 x 54.6 x 6.4 cm (28 3/4 x 21 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.) Samuel H. Kress Collection 1959.9.4 Not on View |
Object 5 of 8
Conservation Notes
The support is a plain-weave fabric, lined to a slightly coarser fabric of the same type. The tacking edges have been cropped, but the original format has presumably been retained. The reddish-brown imprimatura applied above the thin ground was left exposed in several places, notably in the sky and in the unfinished area at the bottom. Oil colors were applied thinly in a wet-on-wet technique and with a semitransparent layering of colors. In areas of moderate relief, oil colors with a more pastelike consistency were applied over already dried layers. X-radiographs reveal no significant pentimenti. There is a four-inch-wide tear to the left of the center of the fabric.Another large loss is located on Saint John's stomach. Overall, the surface shows solvent abrasion and many glazes have broken through. Much of the retouching has discolored. Weave interference from the lining fabric is visible on the surface.
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