Date of Award
9-2023
Access Control
Campus-Only Access
Degree Name
Art Conservation, M.A., C.A.S.
Department
Art Conservation Department
Advisor
Fiona Beckett
Department Home page
https://artconservation.buffalostate.edu
First Reader
Jiuan Jiuan Chen
Second Reader
Dr. Aaron Shugar
Third Reader
Dr. Rebecca Ploeger
Abstract
Our Lady of the Remedies of La Paz is an example of Colonial Andean ex-voto painting. It depicts a popular La Paz legend, according to which a tondo of the Virgin Mary came to life after being stabbed by a gambler, and shielded herself and her child from additional blows. The canvas had been impregnated with wax and exhibited a number of condition issues, including significant overpaint and broad undulations. It also lacked tacking margins, as is typical of many Andean paintings of the 18th century. Our Lady was photographed using multimodal and multispectral imaging, as well as x-radiography. Analytical techniques FTIR, reflected FTIR, and scanning XRF were performed to better understand the painting’s materials and history. The palette was consistent with the historical materials of the region and time period, and indicated the use of earth colors, vermillion, bone black, lead white, orpiment, and Prussian blue. The presence of Prussian blue suggests that the painting was created after 1770, the year the pigment is first known to have been used in the region. Finally, aesthetic and structural treatments were undertaken to restore planarity and compensate for losses.
Recommended Citation
Garrity, G.J. 2023. Our Lady of the Remedies of La Paz: Technical Study and Treatment of a Colonial Andean Painting. M.A. and M.S. thesis, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo.
