Dejeuner sur l’herbe
Artist: Félix Edouard Vallotton
Date: 1889-1890
Classification: Painting
Dimensions: 65.5 x 81 cm
Materials: Oil on canvas
Adopted By: The Belgium Chapter
Description
MEDIUM PRIORITY PROJECT
Félix Edouard Vallotton produced Dejeuner sur l’herbe after Majális, a work by Pàl Szinyei Merse, around 1890, during an intense maturation of his style. A painter, engraver, illustrator, and writer, Vallotton trained at the Académie Julian in Paris and, between 1889 and 1890, undertook a long journey, visiting Trieste, Venice, Prague, and Vienna, where he probably saw Majális painted in 1873 by Hungarian artist Szinyei Merse (1845-1920). Manet’s famous Dejeuner sur l’herbe inspired Merse’s work. There was criticism of Vallotton because he confronted Szinyei Merse’s original with respect, but eliminated all descriptive detail, with an obvious instinct for formal synthesis that would be a hallmark of his mature production.
TOTAL COST: € 2.682.33 ($ 2,621.71)
Restoration Procedures
-
Frame: replacement with a new wooden expansion, to be considered if the recovery of the painted edges to the thickness of the old one is desired
-
Canvas: perimeter strip-lining (addition of canvas strips along all edges to facilitate anchoring on the new frame without losing the folded-over decoration)
-
Pictorial film: light cleaning, plastering, and reintegration of the gaps
Detail
Inventory N°: 23617
Artist: Félix Edouard Vallotton
Date: 1889-1890
Dimensions: 65.5 x 81 cm
Materials: Oil on canvas
Wishbook year: 2023
Dejeuner sur l’herbe Final Restoration Report
Given the relatively good preservation of the pictorial part, the intervention aimed to provide a new frame and recover the part of the painting folded at the edges with a reinforcement of the perimeter. Restorers replaced the underframe with a new wooden expansion.
To anchor the canvas to the new frame, restorers made a perimeter strip lining. The application of canvas strips along the sides allowed restorers to exert more fabric and tension. Afterward, they inserted the nails into the frame.
Restorers tied up the frayed fibers of the original cloth and then used a thermoplastic adhesive or ready-made strips. Through heat, the adhesive and new cloth adhered to the original fabric. A light cleaning of the pictorial film was necessary, and afterward, the restorer filled in the necessary gaps.
- Removal of inconsistent deposits
- Micro consolidation
- Cleaning of the pictorial surface
- Protective glazing
- Removal of canvas from the framework
- Temperature-controlled hot-humid cycles
- Strip lining
- Reinstallation of the canvas on the new framework
- Repair and reintegration of gaps
- Final varnishing
Dejeuner sur l’herbe
Details
Adopted by: The Belgium Chapter
Patrons: Mrs. Gidwitz
Inventory: 23617
Artist: Félix Edouard Vallotton
Date: 1889-1890
Classification: Painting
Materials: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 65.5 x 81 cm
Department: XIX Century and Contemporary Art
Laboratory: Painting & Wood
Wishbook year: 2023
Description
MEDIUM PRIORITY PROJECT
Félix Edouard Vallotton produced Dejeuner sur l’herbe after Majális, a work by Pàl Szinyei Merse, around 1890, during an intense maturation of his style. A painter, engraver, illustrator, and writer, Vallotton trained at the Académie Julian in Paris and, between 1889 and 1890, undertook a long journey, visiting Trieste, Venice, Prague, and Vienna, where he probably saw Majális painted in 1873 by Hungarian artist Szinyei Merse (1845-1920). Manet’s famous Dejeuner sur l’herbe inspired Merse’s work. There was criticism of Vallotton because he confronted Szinyei Merse’s original with respect, but eliminated all descriptive detail, with an obvious instinct for formal synthesis that would be a hallmark of his mature production.
TOTAL COST: € 2.682.33 ($ 2,621.71)
Restoration Procedures
-
Frame: replacement with a new wooden expansion, to be considered if the recovery of the painted edges to the thickness of the old one is desired
-
Canvas: perimeter strip-lining (addition of canvas strips along all edges to facilitate anchoring on the new frame without losing the folded-over decoration)
-
Pictorial film: light cleaning, plastering, and reintegration of the gaps
Media
Dejeuner sur l’herbe
Restorations Update: Dejeuner sur l’herbe Final Restoration Report
Given the relatively good preservation of the pictorial part, the intervention aimed to provide a new frame and recover the part of the painting folded at the edges with a reinforcement of the perimeter. Restorers replaced the underframe with a new wooden expansion.
To anchor the canvas to the new frame, restorers made a perimeter strip lining. The application of canvas strips along the sides allowed restorers to exert more fabric and tension. Afterward, they inserted the nails into the frame.
Restorers tied up the frayed fibers of the original cloth and then used a thermoplastic adhesive or ready-made strips. Through heat, the adhesive and new cloth adhered to the original fabric. A light cleaning of the pictorial film was necessary, and afterward, the restorer filled in the necessary gaps.
- Removal of inconsistent deposits
- Micro consolidation
- Cleaning of the pictorial surface
- Protective glazing
- Removal of canvas from the framework
- Temperature-controlled hot-humid cycles
- Strip lining
- Reinstallation of the canvas on the new framework
- Repair and reintegration of gaps
- Final varnishing
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in the Vatican Museums
Vatican Museums V-00120,
Vatican City State (Europe)
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