A special masterpiece from National Museum Brukenthal collection, exposed at Budapest and Luxemburg. Conservation issues
Autor: Dorina Ţiplic
On the occasion of the collaboration with the Art Museum of Budapest (Syépmüvézeti Múzeum) for the opening of Art and Culture under the Last of the Luxemburg Dynasty, 1387-1437 exhibition ( 21.03.2006 – 15.10.2006), the Brukenthal National Museum took part in the event with four silverware pieces and three stone statues.
A particular attention has been given to the preservation issues regarding the so-called Pietà cibiensis or Pietà of Sibiu (about 1400). The sculpture, displaying Late Gothic features, was initially comprised in Michael J. Ackner’s collection. It became one of the Brukenthal Museum exhibits in 1876.
Inherently unstable (the piece is broken and presents deep cracks), the statue required interventive conservation treatment, in order to prevent its degrading and partial disintegration due to the existence of salts in its texture. Large pieces of the sculpture were held together with metal dowels. The stained surfaces were cleaned. The cleaning and stabilization procedures for this particular masterpiece were performed in Budapest.