Portrait of a Donor,

ca. 1560

As a paintings conservator I am uniquely placed to make fascinating discoveries. During the treatment of this portrait, it became evident that it was once part of a larger composition. At an unknown time, the dimensions were altered and some compositional elements were painted over. The removal of the non-original paint during conservation treatment revealed additional clouds, an open book on the ledge, and evidence of the Virgin surrounded by a yellow areola in the sky (only her white shoe and remnants of her pink and blue garments remain). These identical elements can be found in another painting by Moroni, illustrated here. This suggests that Moroni used templates to make sacred portraits, a painting type he invented in which a lifelike representation of a sitter is inserted into a sacred scene. Few of these portraits survive; due to this recent conservation treatment, one more can be added to the list.

Bart J. C. Devolder, Chief Conservator Princeton University Art Museum

Comparative image: Giovanni Battista Moroni, Two Donors in Adoration before the Madonna and Child, and Saint Michael, 1557–60.
Oil on canvas, 89.5 x 97.8 cm. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond