Posted on 08/31/2021 4:32:37 PM PDT by simpson96
A years-long restoration undertaken by the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden has entirely altered the understanding of a 17th-century painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. What was once thought to be a somewhat glum depiction of a young girl reading near a window is now an amorous portrayal thanks to the unveiling of a naked Cupid hanging in the background.
Conservators knew the image of the Roman god of love existed after a 1979 X-ray, although it was assumed that Vermeer had altered the piece himself. Only after they performed a series of infrared reflectography imagings, microscopic analyses, and X-ray fluorescence examinations in 2017 did they realize that the Cupid was covered decades after the painter’s death, even though they still aren’t sure who marred the original piece or when. This dramatic of an alteration is rare during restoration, considering standard processes generally involve simple cleaning and repairs.
“When layers of varnish from the 19th century began to be removed from the painting, the conservators discovered that the ‘solubility properties’ of the paint in the central section of the wall were different to those elsewhere in the painting,” a statement says, explaining further:
Following further investigations, including tests in an archaeometry laboratory, it was discovered that layers of binding agent and a layer of dirt existed between the image of Cupid and the overpainting. The conservators concluded that several decades would have passed between the completion of one layer and the addition of the next and therefore concluded that Vermeer could not have painted over the Cupid himself.
The new restoration—dive into the lengthy process in the video below—is just one of the mysteries that’s surrounded “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window” since its creation between 1657–59.
(Excerpt) Read more at thisiscolossal.com ...
Is it a window frame or the picture frame??
Interesting how in the unrestored image you can see the darker shade on the wall where the cupid image shows through just a bit.
Good point. Well taken. Yep. I will read the article.
Cute!
The young woman’s expression and posture didn’t change. If she was “glum” about unknown contents of the letter, now she’s “glum” about whatever romance is conveyed by a giant, naked baby. And well she might be, considering childbirth in that era.
Maybe Vermeer’s original patron asked for the picture on the while, while a later owner said, “Meh.”
Victorian era sense and sensibilities were in vogue then..................
Spoiler, lol.
Calvin’s inspiration.
This thread keeps the fun alive.
The simple take-away is that nobody likes a big baby, especially one that moves in and promptly takes over.
Is he firmly holding his "sceptre"? It really does look like he's got quite an attitude.
Yeah, best that he got the boot. :)
Because in a society where the procreative act was linked with love, marriage and commitment, a healthy child was the end game of courtship. I know it's totally foreign to our mindset today.
I believe it’s a window. You can see a reflection of the background window in the sill of the restored painting. The second artist also filled in some details above the curtain rod (continued the red curtain).
Your right, you can see the covered image of cupid enough to know something was there. Maybe if the cupid painting were not so large and prominent, it wouldn’t have been covered up.
Makes sense.
Definitely important symbolism in the work. Interesting that the same painting appears in 2 of Vermeer's works.
Perfect!
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