BACC's 40th
Anniversary Campaign
To help BACC continue revealing "miracles" please donate!
Thank you for your support!
About the Campaign
2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the Balboa Art Conservation Center and I hope you’ll show your support with a donation to our annual fund campaign.
There is so much to be proud of at BACC over these past 40 years. Whether we are filling paint losses in an 18th century Spanish Colonial painting from a California Mission, developing an emergency preparedness plan for a historical society in Oregon, or teaching the staff at a museum in Arizona how best to store their collections—BACC ensures artwork and treasured material culture will continue to be available for future generations to enjoy. Examples of the work we do include a 16th century oil painting by Pietro Perugino and Workshop. This artwork was brought to BACC in poor condition. After cleaning away yellowed varnish and old restorer’s paint, we could see traces of gold rays in the tree with the aid of magnification. The discovery led to an investigation that ultimately revealed the loss of a small crucifix in the tree—the intended centerpiece of the painting. After almost 100 hours of work, BACC conserved the painting and reconstructed this small but very significant portion, revealing the beauty and intent of the artist. |
Focused and passionate work like this is happening every day with impactful results. We hope you’ll lend your support to our 40th anniversary campaign so BACC can continue revealing “miracles” like these.
Janet Ruggles
BACC Executive Director |
Conservation Treatment of Saint Jerome
BACC’s Chief Conservator of Paintings, Alexis Miller undertook the extensive conservation treatment of Saint Jerome in the Wilderness in consultation with then Curator of European Art with the San Diego Museum of Art, John Marciari, PhD. The conservation treatment was preceded by technical examination of the painting to explore the extent of condition problems as well as to support Dr. Marciari’s art historical study of this important artwork. The study and conservation treatment culminated in the publishing of the following entry for the painting in: Italian, Spanish, and French Paintings Before 1850 in the San Diego Museum of Art, John Marciari 2015.
“Saint Jerome in the Wilderness depicts the saint during his four years as a hermit, fasting and praying before returning to his life as a scholar. This 16th century oil painting by Pietro Perugino and Workshop is a common depiction of Saint Jerome, which includes characteristic aspects of the subject: the saint praying before a small cross or crucifix, the rock in his hand, his cardinal's hat, the lion, and a distant view of a town to emphasize that the saint has removed himself from civilization.
“Saint Jerome in the Wilderness depicts the saint during his four years as a hermit, fasting and praying before returning to his life as a scholar. This 16th century oil painting by Pietro Perugino and Workshop is a common depiction of Saint Jerome, which includes characteristic aspects of the subject: the saint praying before a small cross or crucifix, the rock in his hand, his cardinal's hat, the lion, and a distant view of a town to emphasize that the saint has removed himself from civilization.
Before conservation treatment, the painting was considered a replica by an assistant in Perugino's workshop and not Perugino himself because the composition appeared to be a pastiche, with the saint staring upward not at a crucifix, but at a tree. The removal of varnish and overpaint revealed extensive damage to the upper right of the panel. Additionally, a section of the painting at the middle of the tree had at some point been removed by a previous "restorer." Fragments of golden rays were uncovered and this discovery led to a search for older photographs of the panel. An image of the painting in the Fondazione Federico Zeri shows the work with a small crucifix in the tree, which had been deliberately removed during treatment sometime in the early 20th century. On the basis of this image, the painting's original aspect was reconstructed.
A full conservation treatment by Alexis Miller, Chief Conservator of Paintings, in 2012-13 removed multiple layers of yellowed varnish and revealed extensive loss of paint in the tree and significant paint loss in the torso, face, and arm of the saint. Most of these losses had been retouched, but the inpainting had discolored and was thus redone in the new treatment. Abrasion of the paint surface had damaged the modern gilding in the landscape and draperies, some of which had been reinforced with shell gold.”
About BACC
The Balboa Art Conservation Center is a nonprofit regional conservation center devoted to the preservation of material culture in the areas of art and history. BACC serves both institutions and private clients in the western region—Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. Services offered by BACC range from treatment and technical analysis to education and emergency response and recovery. Our sixteen members, as well as the private and institutional clients that utilize BACC on an independent basis, benefit from their access to our highly trained, professional staff. Our approach to collections care issues is comprehensive and broad based. The services we offer cover a wide spectrum, from environmental evaluation and storage design, to the formulation and implementation of complex treatment for works on paper and paintings, to technical analysis and support for art historical study.
Our Mission
The mission of the Balboa Art Conservation Center is to provide services for U.S. Western Region collections-based cultural institutions and their constituent members to preserve and conserve works of art, cultural objects, and historical artifacts.
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[email protected] | PO Box 3755, San Diego, CA 92163 | (619) 236-9702