Restorer finds hidden pig in 1600's Dutch work

Illini.com ^ | August 31st, 2009 | staff reporter

[Daffynition]

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A restorer's work has found a hidden image of a butchered pig in a painting from the collection of Michigan's Calvin College.

The 17th century Dutch work Barn Interior is one of 16 paintings that Calvin alumnus Cornelius Van Nuis gave the Grand Rapids school two years ago.

Egbert van der Poel's work shows a woman and two children inside the barn. Van der Poel lived from 1621 to 1664.

Last summer, Calvin director of exhibitions Joel Zwart sent Barn Interior to Chicago art conservator Barry Bauman.

"What with chemicals and soot and dirt in the air, paintings naturally get darker," Zwart said in a statement. "When they get cleaned, there's a change in appearance."

He noticed that a ladder on the left side of the painting had been heavily painted over and the paint was flaking.

Underneath, he discovered a pig, butchered and stretched hanging upside down from the ladder.

"It was painted over, and the obvious question is, Why was it painted over?" said Zwart. "Well, it was most likely not covered over by the artist. Very likely a wealthy patron bought it.

"It's this grotesque scene, this butchered animal hanging in a barn. And quite likely this patron hired another artist to paint it over."

[snip]

[Daffynition]

Another look, it’s a rooster pecking at something the floor [I think].

[Daffynition]

Think Adobe has a case for copyright infringement? ;)

[SunkenCiv]

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[JoeProBono]

Please Pass The Poupon

[Daffynition]

I already had dinner. Now I need to walk it off.

[JoeProBono]

[Daffynition]

Hey! Who took her ear ring?

[JoeProBono]

Dunno

[Daffynition]

HAHAHA!

The thin vermeer wore off the more I drank

[JoeProBono]

A little makeup will help

[Daffynition]

Not on my job.

[Sparko]

Maybe the reverse, Cornelius Van Nuis’ family?

[JoeProBono]

How about a mask

[Daffynition]

Yes. That too! LOL

All’s fair in love and war.

[Daffynition]

Sorry, meant to say .........All’s fair in love and art. ;)

[Daffynition]

[Grammy]

I see the rooster, that’s not what I am talking about. What I am looking at is to the left of the ladder, on the same plane as the bowl under the pig.

[Daffynition]

Gee ...I’m not sure ...it is bizzaro.

Maybe it’s best we don’t know. 8-D

[longtermmemmory]

The restorer should have restored the final image.

THAT is the final expression of the painting and should stand.

[Daffynition]

Why? That wasn’t the original artist’s idea.

Good heavens, I suppose you are also like another poster I ran into who thinks that the Constitution is a living-breathing-document.

I surrender. Scio me nihil scire.