Madonna and Child, ca. 1450
Sano di Pietro (1406–1481)
Egg tempera and water gilding with oleoresinous glazes on wooden panel, 7 1/4 × 5 1/4 in. (18.4 × 13.4 cm)
Restored, 1937; conserved, 2020
Courtesy Samuel H. Kress Collection, K-1036

Since its creation, this painting has been defined by the actions of worshippers, art dealers, art collectors, connoisseurs, historians, curators, and, not least, restorers and conservators. Each conservation action is a product of its own moment in time and bears reevaluation by the next conservator. In 1937 restorer Stephen Pichetto thinned the original panel and added on its reverse a wooden cradle composed of horizontal and vertical slats, intended to partially counteract the natural movement of the panel in response to its environment and hold it flat. Over time, the cradle instead overly restricted the movement of the wooden panel and resulted in the formation of a split down its middle. In 2020 conservator Kristin Holder removed the cradle, allowed the panel to come to its resting curvature, and repaired the split that had formed. Pichetto had also removed the engaged molding of the painting and created a conventional frame for it, which has since been adjusted to better simulate its earlier appearance.

Conservation is fundamentally a cumulative endeavor that evolves with changes in taste. While “reversible” treatment actions were once desired so that they may later be re-evaluated by others, conservation objectives have today shifted toward “re-treatability,” recognizing the challenges of doing so, as illustrated here.