Follower of Duccio, a Trecento Italian Triptych
The Reconstruction of the portable triptych Madonna and Child with Saints and the Crucifixion (Memphis Brooks Museum of Art): a focus on construction and assembly
by Kristin Holder
Reconstruction (left) and the triptych Madonna and Child with Saints and the Crucifixion, c. 1300-25 (right).
Image credit: Kristin HolderExcerpt:
Reconstructing and treating the Kress triptych brought together many of the different skills sets that should be in a conservator's possession: aesthetics, hand skills, critical thinking, art history and scientific analyses. In the search for a better understanding of craftsmanship, the triptych revealed an economical use of time and materials, in the choice of woods, textiles, and even pigments. The author's pitfalls in the gilding or application of glazes demonstrated the high skill levels needs to make such an object also provided insights on the effect of the environment on materials and processes. In some cases actual practice deviated from handbooks, common assumptions, and references. Successes reinforced the fluidity of skills that must have been attained through years of practice and tradition.
In his stern advice to young artists, Cennini writes that "even if you study [this book] by day and by night, if you do not see some practice under some master you will never amount to anything," a reminder that the skills and knowledge necessary for an artist resides in the hands as much as the head.
