7/6/23 - Restoration - Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts - It is one of the masterpieces of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg, but visitors were desperate to be able to admire the Saint Catherine by Simon Vouet, acquired in 2019 (see the news item of 25/6/19). A delicate restoration, entirely financed by the Société des Amis des Arts et des Musées de Strasbourg, has restored it to its former splendour, and it has been on display since April (ill. 1 and 2).
The painting was entrusted to the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France, with Cécile Gouton restoring the paint layer and Ludovic Roudet the support, in close collaboration with Oriane Lavit, heritage curator at the C2RMF. A scientific study was also carried out prior to its acquisition by curator Gilles Bastian.
-
- 1. Simon Vouet (1590-1649)
The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine, 1622
Before restoration
Oil on canvas - 173 x 115.5 cm
Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts
Photo: MBA de Strasbourg - See the image in its page
-
- 2. Simon Vouet (1590-1649)
The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine, 1622
After restoration
Oil on canvas - 173 x 115.5 cm
Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts
Photo: MBA de Strasbourg - See the image in its page
Produced during Simon Vouet’s stay in Rome, this work was included in the exhibition devoted to the painter’s Italian years, organised in 2009 in Nantes and Besançon (see review and interview with Dominique Jacquot).
For a long time, it was known only through the engraving by Claude Mellan dated 1625. Other versions have since been identified, copies as well as two replicas, probably executed with the help of the workshop and now in private hands. But the Strasbourg painting stands out for its relatively large size and its undeniable quality, despite its poor state of conservation, which already in 2009 made it an autograph work in the eyes of historians. The cleaning process revealed a number of marks, particularly in the drapery of the angel and Saint Catherine, and also on Saint Catherine’s shoulder (ill. 3 and 4). Some of these have been toned down by the restorers so as not to interfere with the reading of the composition, as in the case of the indentation at the mouth, which altered the Saint’s expression.
-
- 3. Detail of the repentance on the shoulder and drapery of Saint Catherine
Schematic drawing of the repentance in blue by Oriane Lavit
Photo: C2RMF/Thomas Clot - See the image in its page
In addition, the painter’s signature has appeared. Alongside it, an illegible date, probably 1622, validates Dominique Jacquot’s analysis, which emphasised the still Caravaggesque character of the work and concluded that it had been painted around 1621-1622, rather than 1625, the date of the engraving. In addition to Caravaggism, the Strasbourg museum curator also notes a Bolognese influence.
The Saint’s nudity suggests that this painting was not intended for a church, but more likely for a collector. It probably corresponds to the painting that was in the home of Cardinal de La Valette in the 17th century, and passed through the collection of the Elector Palatine in Düsseldorf in the 18th century.
-
- 4. Detail of the repentance from the mouth of Saint Catherine
Schematic drawing of the repentance in blue by Oriane Lavit
Photo: C2RMF/Thomas Clot - See the image in its page
The painting was very darkened by oxidised varnish and overpainting from earlier restorations, intended to mask wear and tear; these had turned over time, to the point of making it difficult to read the composition and distorting the colour harmony of the original work. In addition, there were areas of chancis (whitening of the varnish).
Another problem was that the painting had been transposed onto a new canvas. Transposition is no longer practised by restorers today, because it causes serious alterations to the painting and leads to problems of adhesion with the new support. The paint layer was therefore suffering from lifting. First it had to be consolidated, then cleaned, and the yellowed varnish and old overpaint, which sometimes overhung the original material, had to be removed. Finally, the pictorial reintegration consisted of filling in the gaps and reducing the wear and tear.
Restoration has brought back to Saint Catherine its aesthetic unity, the legibility of its composition and the harmony of its colours. Certain details have reappeared, notably the small smokes on the left and certain flames, as well as the locks of hair, while the landscape reveals its bluish harmony and regains all its depth.
This masterpiece by Vouet can now be seen in the Caravaggio room.
It stands alongside paintings by Valentin de Boulogne, Michele Desubleo, Ribera and Borgianni. It evokes the master’s Roman sojourn, while in an adjacent room, another of his paintings, Loth and his Daughters, was painted in Paris in 1633.