"Madonna in Glory" Rosso Fiorentino. The end of the restoration

Exhibition February 15 − April 15, 2018
In the Apollo hall of the Winter Palace opened the exhibition "Madonna in glory" Rosso Fiorentino. The end of the restoration" from the collection of the State Hermitage.
The painting "Madonna in glory" created by the outstanding Italian painter Rosso Fiorentino (1494-1540) belonged to a generation of artists, the Mannerists. Masters in this direction gradually destroyed the foundations of the Renaissance, bringing to the painting of subjectivity, quirkiness, contrast, sophistication of forms and lines. "Madonna in glory" is one of the clearest examples of early Florentine mannerism.
The prototype picture was the classic examples, namely the "Madonna di Foligno" by Raphael (Vatican Pinacoteca) and rising to her engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi (circa 1470 – 1534) and his school. But Rosso was too vibrant a personality to blindly copy the prototype, his work is more emotional and eccentric. "Madonna in glory", most likely, can be dated to the years 1524-1525, when the master worked in Rome.
"Madonna in glory" entered the Hermitage collection in 1810. The original basis of the works was a wooden Board. Over time it suffered greatly from the beetle-grinder. Perhaps this was the reason for the translation in 1862 painting of a tree on the canvas. During this operation managed to preserve the original primer, but the paint layer was badly damaged and acquired the texture of the canvas.

Before restoration was carried out all the necessary scientific and technical studies. Infrared rays were discovered the author's figure, thin and hard line which points to the artist's use of the preparatory cardboard. On the basis of the obtained data was developed the concept of restoration measures.

As a result of restoration, the picture is completely changed: manifest easy and fluent modeling scenic forms. The lightness and virtuosity of the celebrated founder of modern art history, Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) in the "Biography of Rosso".

On the official website The State Hermitage Museum.