Restored to Glory: Preparing a Painting for Its Museum Debut
Claude François, called Frère Luc (1614-1685), The Dead Christ (detail), about 1670. MMFA, purchase, the Museum Campaign 1988-1993 Fund. Partial view of the work as it is undergoing conservation treatment
Acquired in 2011, a rare 17th-century painting by Frère Luc is finally on display in the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion for Quebec and Canadian Art, after having undergone essential restoration work.
Jacques Des Rochers
Agata Sochon
Sacha Marie Levay
The Récollet deacon Claude François, called Frère Luc, is a key, quasi-inaugural figure in the development of painting in New France, where he stayed for 15 months from 1670 to 1671. According to his confrere Chrestien Le Clercq, he produced paintings for eight churches and chapels.1 His work bears witness to a century in which the devout set out to conquer souls in what was known as the “New World,” perceived as fertile ground for the establishment of French colonies. Christians were then preoccupied with questions of death and final ends, as they could not leave this world without being prepared for fear of eternal punishment. The exaltation of the Passion of Christ as concomitant with the fatalistic suffering of a believer’s earthly life was at the core of the spiritual life of Francis of Assisi, founder of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans or Récollets), whose ardent desire to emulate the image of Christ nailed to the cross led him to receive stigmata on his own body.
A significant work in our history of art
Starting in the Renaissance, with Andrea Mantegna’s Lamentation of Christ (about 1483, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan), foreshortening and tight framing were adopted to heighten anatomical detail. Here, without further artifice, the dead Christ is depicted alone in his tomb in his shroud, his disrobed upper body revealing his musculature and displaying serenity after suffering in a sensuous rendering. Beyond its original composition, what sets this work apart is that a rare preliminary drawing of it has survived; it was published in 1944 for the first time by Gérard Morisset, the first art historian of Quebec and of Frère Luc. This study of a head, hands and shoulder is directly related to our painting, which was not known to Morisset. In fact, he saw it as representing the head of a monk rather than that of Christ, since the hands bear no stigmata.
Claude François, called Frère Luc, study for The Dead Christ (head and hands), 17th c. (reproduction). École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. Photo © Beaux-Arts de Paris, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource
Similarly, the chapel of the Hôpital général de Québec – restored by Frère Luc for the Récollets in 1670-1671 after the temporary capture of the city by the English in 1629 – still has an Assumption by the artist in its altarpiece. It also houses an early copy of St. Francis Adoring the Crucifix, which likely replaces an original painting by Frère Luc of which there are other surviving versions. The medallion representation of this image of the saint is consistent with several other paintings attributed to the artist, made for both private devotion and as part of the structure of early altarpieces in French Récollet convents. Our Dead Christ attests to the importance that Frère Luc placed on the Passion of Christ, whose stigmata St. Francis is said to have borne. It is reflective of the devotional world in which the first French missionaries in Canada existed.
A complex conservation treatment
The painting was brought to the conservation laboratory for examination and restoration. We found that, although it was in fairly good condition for its age, it would require complex treatment, as its appearance had been lessened by centuries of wear and aged restorations, and its structural stability was compromised by a weakened lining.
The Dead Christ was originally executed on a good quality linen and stretched over a wooden strainer. It was interesting to note that an additional strip of fabric had been stitched at the top, enlarging the composition by approximately 2.5 cm. The painting had previously been lined with a traditional glue-paste adhesive, which had since lost its adhesion, along with its ability to support the original canvas, resulting in deformations.
Over the centuries, the fabric supports and strainer had deteriorated, due to climatic changes and storage conditions. The strainer, in particular, was warped and riddled with insect holes, further weakening the work structurally. As a result, the paint surface, originally probably quite uniform and smooth, was now marked by deformations such as raised cracks and cupped paint. It was also marred by layers of grime, deteriorated varnish and discoloured retouching.
Before treatment: deteriorated lining and strainer.
Raking light showing deformations on the surface of the work.
UV light reveals natural resin varnish (green fluorescence) and retouching (in purple).
The treatment began with the removal of these layers. Each was lifted with a specifically devised combination of solvents and solvent-based gels. Once removed, we were able to ascertain that the actual state of the paint was somewhat worn but that the composition was mostly intact.
Removal of yellowed varnish.
To ensure the structural stability of the painting, it had to be relined. To this end, the surface of the work was first protected with layers of facing, and then the old lining and its brittle adhesive were removed mechanically. A few small tears on the margin and at the seam were also repaired in this process.
Facing procedure: pieces of Japanese paper are glued to the surface of the painting with an aqueous adhesive.
Mechanical removal of old lining.
Deformations in the canvas were then flattened using a combination of heat, humidity and low pressure, which also diminished cupped paint and raised cracks. Finally, the painting was relined onto a strong polyester fabric using a stable adhesive, and restretched on a new custom-made stretcher. The paint losses were then infilled and textured to mimic crack patterns and characteristics of the surrounding paint. This was followed by inpainting using chemically stable and reversible materials. Lastly, a coat of protective varnish was applied to saturate the colours and unify the surface of the painting.
Paint losses are infilled, prior to retouching.
After inpainting and re-varnishing.
Creation of a historical frame
The Dead Christ did not have a frame at the time of its acquisition by the MMFA. It was therefore necessary to create one. Since the work was produced during the Baroque period (1600-1750), one might assume that it would have been fitting to frame it in the style of this particularly rich and expressive era, characterized by abundant floral ornamentation, intricate gilded surfaces and theatrical forms. However, considering the vows of humility and modesty adopted by the Récollets order of which Frère Luc was a member, a more austere frame reflecting these values seemed more appropriate.
We consulted with town officials in Sézanne, France, home to the former Récollet convent where several paintings by Frère Luc are kept. In examining images of these works, we were able to compare their frames and imagine the effect they would create on our painting.
Claude François, called Frère Luc, Dead Christ, 1672-1675? Récollets convent, Sézanne, France. Work shown in a Baroque frame
Claude François, called Frère Luc, Dead Christ, 1672-1675? Récollets convent, Sézanne, France. Work shown in a cassetta frame (Renaissance period) that pre-dates the painting
Claude François, called Frère Luc, Dead Christ, 1672-1675? Récollets convent, Sézanne, France. Work shown in a cabinetmaker’s frame painted black
We also researched other museums to help us make an informed choice. In particular, we contacted the National Gallery of Canada, which owns a painting by the artist, Saint Bonaventure, produced around 1655, with a stained wooden frame.
In the end, out of respect for Franciscan modesty – and despite the temptation to opt for a Baroque-style gilded frame – we chose an elegant black frame reflecting a trend of the time, with a gilded liner separating it and the work and highlighting the importance of the painting.
Claude François, called Frère Luc, The Dead Christ, about 1670. MMFA, purchase, the Museum Campaign 1988-1993 Fund. Work shown in its new frame created by the MMFA’s Conservation Department
1 Chrestien Le Clercq, Premier établissement de la foy dans la Nouvelle-France, Paris, Amable Auroy, 1691.
