« L’alliance inattendue » . Étude et conservation-restauration d’une étagère murale et d’un fauteuil d’un ensemble de salon de Carlo Bugatti (1888 ; Le Havre, musee d’art moderne Andre Malraux (MUMA) $e Etude et comparaison de la resistance mecanique de …

This master dissertation is dedicated to the study and conservation of a spanish oil painting on canvas, called Our Lady of the Pilar and conserved in the National Renaissance Museum at the Château d'Ecouen (Cl. 11920). A painting wrongly attributed, it actually represents a sculpture of the Virgin, the Virgen del Sagrario, patron saint of Toledo and still preserved in its cathedral. The work is one of a series of painted replicas of the votive effigy, painted in trompe l'oeil style to serve as an intercessor for remote worship.
The painting, which is thought to date from the mid-seventeenth century, has been moved several times, and was documented in Paris in the 1860s, when it was restored. Its state of conservation and presentation subsequently deteriorated due to water damage after the restoration. As a result, mould growth has altered the lining, and mottling has made certain areas of the painting illegible. The work required involves complete restoration.
The painting technique, with its clay preparation, earth pigments and remnants of old varnishes, makes it risky to add water during restoration work. The technical-scientific study therefore focuses on developing a non-aqueous method of protecting the paint layer to control this factor during structural treatments.