Getting the Valentins Ready for The Met
The Valentin de Boulogne expert Jean-Pierre Cuzin and restorer Noëlle Jeannette discuss the cleaning of Musicians and Soldiers from the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg. Photo by Guillaume Kientz
«Have you ever gone to a museum and stood, disheartened, before a painting buried in discolored varnish and looking, well, a bit tired? Those of us who love Old Master paintings deal with this all the time. Frankly, sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone, as time takes its toll on all things.
But Valentin de Boulogne presents special problems, because he often painted thinly on a dark ground and sometimes employed pigments prone to alter with time, which causes the pictures to lose their vividness. I have been gratified that so many of his paintings have been conserved in preparation for their debut in Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, on view through January 16, 2017.»
The paintings of the evangelists Saint Mark and Saint Matthew from the king's bedroom at Versailles? Cleaned! The early concert scenes lent from Switzerland and Indianapolis, the attribution of which scholars have often questioned? Carefully examined with the latest technology, restored, and now determined to be—to our minds—the work of the artist!
An astonishing but damaged depiction of the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence from the Prado? Painstakingly cared for during a period of more than two years. A vibrant but sometimes questioned picture of the Prodigal Son owned by the Archconfraternity of Mercy in Florence that is known to very few specialists, let alone the general public? Beautifully restored. Have a look for yourselves!
Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1591–1632). Return of the Prodigal Son, ca. 1615–16. Oil on canvas, 59 1/16 x 70 1/16 in. (150 x 178 cm). Museo della Venerabile Arciconfraternita della Misericordia, Florence
This is a very special event and everyone has really worked at the highest level so that this great master can now be seen at his best. Thanks to all.
Related Links
Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, on view at The Met Fifth Avenue through January 16, 2017
Keith Christiansen
Keith Christiansen began his career as assistant curator in 1977 and between 2009 and 2021 was the John Pope-Hennessy Chairman of European Paintings. In his forty-four years at the Museum, he collaborated in the organization of over twenty exhibitions on Italian, Spanish and French artists. He has taught at Columbia University and the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and was the Clarence and Ruth Wedgewood Kennedy Professor in Renaissance Studies at Smith College (1999) and guest professor at Vassar (2006). In addition to the many acquisitions he pursued that have enriched the Museum’s collection, he has published widely and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, conferred by the Ministry of Arts in France.
Selected publications
MetPublications: Selected publications by Keith Christiansen