NORMAL PRIORITY PROJECT

This panel, painted on both sides, is one of the most intriguing and mysterious pieces in the medieval collection. Its iconography is highly unusual in that it appears to depict the tale of a false prophet, divided into three scenes spanning two registers. The protagonist is a man wearing a purple robe who lacks the nimbus of sanctity. First, he is shown prostrate on his knees before a court of wise elders and armed men. Next, he prays with his hands folded. Below, accompanied by guards, he engages in a dialogue with two figures before being thrown into the fire. Instead, the reverse of the panel depicts an allegorical figure of unclear interpretation, probably created in continuity with the scenes painted on the front. The iconographic source of the work and its date will be specified and verified as studies make progress. The function of the artifact, which might be a birthing table, will also be investigated.

Total Cost: € 18.630,00 ($ 21,920.06)

There are cracks and grout fall on the neutral-tinted edge of the support, which is probably where the boards were joined. The painted surface is mostly stable, but the verso could not be verified. The paint appears slightly oxidized, and older cracks are visible.

Support:

• Restoration of cracks in unpainted parts, treatment of the exposed wooden surfaces with wax
• Anti-woodworm treatment with permethrin-based products; revision of the attachment system

Painted and gilded surfaces on the recto and verso:

• Consolidation of lifting pictorial film and glazing of the painted surface adjacent to cracks
• Cleaning of the painted and gilded surfaces using suitable solvents, and painting of the surface
• Filling the gaps with Bologna plaster and rabbit glue
• Pictorial reintegration using watercolor and/or paint colors for restoration and final varnishing