Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb
Artist: Carlo Ruspi, Silvestro Bossi, others
Date: Mid - 19th century
Classification: Painting
Dimensions: Various
Materials: Tempera on paper lined on canvas, Wooden frame
Adopted By: The Texas Chapter
Description
MEDIUM PRIORITY PROJECT
The end of the 2nd century dates the beginnings of Christian art, representing the contents of faith, and translating biblical narratives into figures. A testimony are the paintings that adorned the rooms of the catacombs. In the mid-19th century, Jesuit archaeologist Fr. Giuseppe Marchi had some of these paintings copied and scaled life-size due to the difficult accessibility of the underground rooms. His intention was to prevent them from becoming comparable to “splendid oil lamps hidden under the bushel” (cf. Mt. 5:13-16). The Pius Christian Museum now holds thirty- four of those historic reproductions: thanks to the contribution of the Patrons, a multi-year restoration project is ensuring the full recovery and enhancement of this very important heritage.
TOTAL COST: € 46.717,02 ($ 45,661.22)
Restoration Procedures
-
Dry cleaning front and back
-
Fixing and color consolidation
-
Reintegration of gaps and tears
-
Color rebalancing
-
Mounting on a new frame
-
Photos will only be taken after restoration
Detail
Inventory N°: 69859, 69867, 69869, 69879, 69882, ...
Artist: Carlo Ruspi, Silvestro Bossi, others
Date: Mid - 19th century
Dimensions: Various
Materials: Tempera on paper lined on canvas, Wooden frame
Wishbook year: 2023
Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb - Third Restoration Update
The five cartoons from the Christian catacombs in the third lot were in poor condition. In particular, the surface showed the presence of coherent and inconsistent deposits, insect droppings, and stains of various kinds caused by humidity.
In addition, there were widespread abrasions of the pictorial layer with resulting gaps, dusty pigments, gaps, and tears in the support and lifting of the paper from the canvas lining.
Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb - Second Restoration Update
State of conservation
In the 19th century, several painters specializing in copies, including Carlo Ruspi and Silvestro Bossi, produced 34 facsimile paintings of the frescoes in the catacombs, considered a unique documentation of its kind because of their association with early Christian archaeological discoveries.
Once the archaeological collections of the Lateran Museum were transferred to the Vatican in 1963, the painted copies did not find a place in the exhibition and, therefore, were stored, virtually forgotten until their recent rediscovery.
The copies were made in tempera on industrial paper, lined with canvas, and mounted on wooden frames. The Paper Laboratory has been working on this material for several years, doing restoration and conservation work. The restoration of the cartoons belonging to Lot III, spanned over two years, is currently focussing on the four cartoons with inventory numbers MV.69867, 69869, 69879, and 69882.
The works are in a poor state of conservation; in particular, on the surface, we observe the presence of uniform and uneven deposits, insect droppings, stains of various types, and caused by moisture. The presence of abrasions, dusting of the pictorial layer, gaps and tears in the support, detachment of the paper from the canvas lining, and loss of paint are also noted.
Restoration Procedures
-
Dusting with soft bristle brushes on the front and with a micro-aspirator with adjustable speed and suction power on the back
-
Dry cleaning with natural and synthetic latex sponges
-
Removal of insect droppings with a scalpel
-
Pigment consolidation with repeated spraying of Funori in 1% aqueous solution
-
Reintegrating gaps and cracks with Japanese paper of sufficient thickness and wheat starch
-
Adhesion of the support lifts from the wooden frame and canvas with wheat starch
-
Color adjustment of abraded areas, stained areas, and gaps in the image layer with hyperventilated pigments mixed with water and methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose Tylose MH 300 P in 6% aqueous solution
-
Once the restoration is complete, all the cartoons in Lot III will be mounted in protective frames (wooden frames closed on the back with Poliplat cardboard)
Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb - First Restoration Update
The work was in a poor state of preservation; in particular, the surface showed the presence of consistent and inconsistent deposits, insect droppings, stains of various kinds and resulting from moisture. Also noted were the presence of abrasions, dust on the pictorial layer, gaps, lifting of the paper from the canvas lining, and color falls.
- Recto dusting with soft bristle brushes and on the verso with a micro-aspirator with adjustable speed and suction power
- Dry cleaning with natural and synthetic latex sponges
- Removal of insect droppings with a scalpel
- Integrations of gaps and tears with Japanese paper and wheat starch
- Consolidation of pigments with repeated spraying of Funori in 1% aqueous solution
- Color adjustment of abraded areas and reinstatements in Japanese paper with pastels and watercolor pencils
Once the restoration work is completed on all the cartoons in Lot III, protective assemblies (wooden frame closed on the reverse side with Poliplat cardboard) will be made.
Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb
Details
Adopted by: The Texas Chapter
Patrons: Mr. Richard Kelly
Inventory: 69859, 69867, 69869, 69879, 69882, ...
Artist: Carlo Ruspi, Silvestro Bossi, others
Date: Mid - 19th century
Classification: Painting
Materials: Tempera on paper lined on canvas, Wooden frame
Dimensions: Various
Department: Christian Antiquities
Laboratory: Painting & Wood, Paper
Wishbook year: 2023
Description
MEDIUM PRIORITY PROJECT
The end of the 2nd century dates the beginnings of Christian art, representing the contents of faith, and translating biblical narratives into figures. A testimony are the paintings that adorned the rooms of the catacombs. In the mid-19th century, Jesuit archaeologist Fr. Giuseppe Marchi had some of these paintings copied and scaled life-size due to the difficult accessibility of the underground rooms. His intention was to prevent them from becoming comparable to “splendid oil lamps hidden under the bushel” (cf. Mt. 5:13-16). The Pius Christian Museum now holds thirty- four of those historic reproductions: thanks to the contribution of the Patrons, a multi-year restoration project is ensuring the full recovery and enhancement of this very important heritage.
TOTAL COST: € 46.717,02 ($ 45,661.22)
Restoration Procedures
-
Dry cleaning front and back
-
Fixing and color consolidation
-
Reintegration of gaps and tears
-
Color rebalancing
-
Mounting on a new frame
-
Photos will only be taken after restoration
Media
Copy of the Pictures of the Roman Catacombs - inv. 69867
Restorations Update: Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb - Third Restoration Update
The five cartoons from the Christian catacombs in the third lot were in poor condition. In particular, the surface showed the presence of coherent and inconsistent deposits, insect droppings, and stains of various kinds caused by humidity.
In addition, there were widespread abrasions of the pictorial layer with resulting gaps, dusty pigments, gaps, and tears in the support and lifting of the paper from the canvas lining.
Restorations Update: Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb - Second Restoration Update
State of conservation
In the 19th century, several painters specializing in copies, including Carlo Ruspi and Silvestro Bossi, produced 34 facsimile paintings of the frescoes in the catacombs, considered a unique documentation of its kind because of their association with early Christian archaeological discoveries.
Once the archaeological collections of the Lateran Museum were transferred to the Vatican in 1963, the painted copies did not find a place in the exhibition and, therefore, were stored, virtually forgotten until their recent rediscovery.
The copies were made in tempera on industrial paper, lined with canvas, and mounted on wooden frames. The Paper Laboratory has been working on this material for several years, doing restoration and conservation work. The restoration of the cartoons belonging to Lot III, spanned over two years, is currently focussing on the four cartoons with inventory numbers MV.69867, 69869, 69879, and 69882.
The works are in a poor state of conservation; in particular, on the surface, we observe the presence of uniform and uneven deposits, insect droppings, stains of various types, and caused by moisture. The presence of abrasions, dusting of the pictorial layer, gaps and tears in the support, detachment of the paper from the canvas lining, and loss of paint are also noted.
Restoration Procedures
-
Dusting with soft bristle brushes on the front and with a micro-aspirator with adjustable speed and suction power on the back
-
Dry cleaning with natural and synthetic latex sponges
-
Removal of insect droppings with a scalpel
-
Pigment consolidation with repeated spraying of Funori in 1% aqueous solution
-
Reintegrating gaps and cracks with Japanese paper of sufficient thickness and wheat starch
-
Adhesion of the support lifts from the wooden frame and canvas with wheat starch
-
Color adjustment of abraded areas, stained areas, and gaps in the image layer with hyperventilated pigments mixed with water and methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose Tylose MH 300 P in 6% aqueous solution
-
Once the restoration is complete, all the cartoons in Lot III will be mounted in protective frames (wooden frames closed on the back with Poliplat cardboard)
Restorations Update: Restoration of Copies of the Paintings in the Roman Catacomb - First Restoration Update
The work was in a poor state of preservation; in particular, the surface showed the presence of consistent and inconsistent deposits, insect droppings, stains of various kinds and resulting from moisture. Also noted were the presence of abrasions, dust on the pictorial layer, gaps, lifting of the paper from the canvas lining, and color falls.
- Recto dusting with soft bristle brushes and on the verso with a micro-aspirator with adjustable speed and suction power
- Dry cleaning with natural and synthetic latex sponges
- Removal of insect droppings with a scalpel
- Integrations of gaps and tears with Japanese paper and wheat starch
- Consolidation of pigments with repeated spraying of Funori in 1% aqueous solution
- Color adjustment of abraded areas and reinstatements in Japanese paper with pastels and watercolor pencils
Once the restoration work is completed on all the cartoons in Lot III, protective assemblies (wooden frame closed on the reverse side with Poliplat cardboard) will be made.
© 2025 Patrons of the Arts
in the Vatican Museums
Vatican Museums V-00120,
Vatican City State (Europe)
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