EXAMINATION AND TREATMENT OF A SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY SPANISH POLYCHROME SCULPTURE BY JOSE CARO

Abstract

The sculpture of St Gines de la Jara in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, dated 1692, is an outstanding example ofthe estofado technique of imitating brocade in gold leaf and paint. The life-size figure retains most of its original polychromy. In previous restoration treatments, there had been an unsuccessful attempt to simulate the estofado. The present treatment included a comprehensive technical examination, using X-radiography to identify construction techniques and cross-sectional analysis for the layer structure and materials. The decoration of the sculpture was carefully studied with the goal of understanding more clearly the technique of the estofador. A cleaning strategy was then devised. Where there were losses in the estofado, it was decided to aim for a chromatic compensation using watercolours, rather than attempting to duplicate the original process.