Saint Mark the Evangelist

This large, impressive painting has many mysteries – not the least being its painter. Simply judging from its size it must have been an important commission. However, time has taken a bit of a toll on it, as you can expect from a painting of this age. Dirt, old repairs, and structural issues threaten the painting and make it look far from its best. It appears that the painting was cut in two at one time or created originally from two pieces of canvas. The horizontal seam between these two canvases is visible to the naked eye. The paint along this seam has suffered and old, unfortunately very generous, retouching has discolored over time and is now disfiguring the painting. Also, the painting is lined, i.e. a second canvas has at some point been attached to the back to support the original canvas, but this lining is now detaching and little, what we call “blisters,” can be seen along the edges. As if that was not enough, the protective varnish of the painting has yellowed over time and there is a dirt and grime layer on the surface. The painting is in desperate need of attention and it would benefit greatly from conservation!