Conservation Project of a Unique Polychrome Sculpture Completed

The extensive conservation project on the 500-year-old polychrome crucifix by Maastricht sculptor Jan van Steffeswert (1460-1530) was completed in February 2022. MACCH partner SRAL (Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg) was commissioned by the Bonnefanten to research the presence of presumed original paint under multiple layers of overpaint and to carry out full conservation treatment. Led by Arnold Truyen (senior conservator), the SRAL team worked carefully for more than five years to remove layers of overpaint and to restore the original polychromy.

Since only a few sculptures by Jan van Steffeswert have survived with their original paint layer, it is quite extraordinary that this crucifix has remained largely intact. Until 1983 it hung in the Nieuwenhofkapel, which is now the home of University College Maastricht. The sculpture subsequently entered the Bonnefanten collection as a long-term loan.
As soon as it entered the museum, the overpaint immediately stood out. It was hiding details of the carvings and it was clearly visible, from the way the paint was applied that this was not the original paint layer from 1510, but an overpaint added in the 20^th century. This raised a lot of questions like: is the original paint layer still present? And can it be retrieved in a sustainable way? 

To answer these questions, SRAL conducted research into the paint layers. One of the most intensive research methods applied, was the so-called paint stratigraphy. Small patches of the successive paint layers were uncovered step-by-step with a surgical blade to create small windows. The result was an overview of the different layers of paint through time from the last one applied in the 20^th century until the original one.

It also provided valuable data about the condition of the original layer and the subsequent overpaint campaigns. In fact, it gave a clear picture of the history of the sculpture over the centuries. While most phases of the overpaint show realistic skin tones, the crucifix appears to have once looked like a stone statue and at other times like a faux-brown, wood-coloured sculpture.

With the information gathered during the research, the conservators were able to argue that the original paint layer from 1510 was still on the sculpture, largely intact and retrievable. Therefore, it was decided to have the extensive and time-consuming restoration carried out and to have all the non-original paint removed. This was done under the microscope by carefully scraping away the overpaint with a sharp scalpel. Aesthetically, the exposing of the original colours has yielded a lot of gain. These recent conservation efforts have significantly improved the overall appearance of the sculpture by revealing the intricately carved surface and original tones. The final fillings and retouching of the losses in the original paint layer allows the corpus of Christ to become clearly legible again. This medieval sculpture is one of its kind in the Maas region and can now be seen again at Bonnefanten.

This long-term restoration project was made possible in part by the Province of Limburg and the Stichting Kanunnike Salden/ Nieuwenhof.