Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Jerome
The restoration of the Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Jerome was made possible by the generosity of the Mary G. Stange Charitable Trust, David Stone Trustee. The work is a large oil on wood panel of an altarpiece painted by Marco Palmezzano in 1510. It was added to the Vatican Painting Gallery in 1857. From an iconographic point of view, this work is a Madonna and Child with Saints. Historically, however, this type of work is often referred to as a “Sacred Conversation” — a group of saints and angels surrounding an architectural structure in which Mary is seated on the throne with her Son in her lap.
The artist, Marco Palmezzano (1491-1539), was born and died in Forli, Romagna. Palmezzano’s studio was prolific in producing altarpieces that usually featured the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus on he lap, and below, in the foreground, are symmetrically sited saints. One of the most attractive facets of Palmezzano’s work are the distinctive and suggestive landscapes that form backdrops to many of his altarpieces. There are reflections of the Appennine foothills and mountains to the south of Forli for which Palmezzano clearly had a real affection.
Photos of Work-In-Progress
Click on any photo to launch a slideshow. Photos provided courtesy of Patrons or restoration laboratory staff and taken during private tours.
Conservator or Contortionist?
Restorers have to master many talents — they are scientists, historians, and of course artists. But did you know they have a touch of maverick-acrobatic and balancing skills, dexterity, and a bit of finesse? Restorer, Ignacio Gonzalez Panicello is pictured dangling over the back of Marco Palmezzano’s Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and St. Jerome. It calls to mind the visual of how Michelangelo himself must have been in a similar but inverted compromising position when painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.