Date of Award
9-2026
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage and Conservation Science and Imaging , M.A./M.S.
Department
Art Conservation Department
Advisor
Fiona Beckett, M.A.
Department Home page
https://artconservation.buffalostate.edu/
First Reader
Fiona Beckett, M.A.
Second Reader
Jiuan Jiuan Chen, M.A.
Third Reader
Glennis E. Rayermann, Ph.D.
Fourth Reader
Rebecca Ploeger, Ph.D.
Abstract
The Death of Saint Joseph (55 x 45 ¾ inches; Acc. #2020.017) is a large oil on canvas painting and part of the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation’s Art of the Spanish America’s Collection. In 2024, the painting was brought to the Garman Art Conservation Department at SUNY Buffalo State University for analysis and treatment. The technical analysis combined multi-spectral imaging techniques in the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet; x-radiography; x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy; fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy; optical microscopy; scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy; and Raman spectroscopy.
The results reveal a sophisticated interplay between local and imported materials, reflecting the dynamic artistic and commercial networks of the period. The analysis confirmed the use of expected materials, but also revealed new insights, including the application of unleached plant ash in a double-ground structure, a combination that reflects both local materials and Spanish techniques. The deliberate pigment choices, as well as the omission of others—such as indigo—in favor of achieving a more complex optical effect through the turbid medium effect, offer insight in the variety of artist materials and specific techniques used in Andean painting. Additionally, the identification of lead tin yellow type I is significant as it has not been documented in paintings from this region or period.
The treatment of the painting was primarily aesthetic: focusing on removing the synthetic varnish and reducing discolored adhesive beneath. Previous heavy-handed overpaint was removed, careful inpainting was carried out, and a new saturating conservation-grade varnish was applied, allowing the painting’s original colors and tonality to be better appreciated.
Recommended Citation
Green, Caitlin. 2026. The Death of Saint Joseph: Technical Study and Conservation Treatment of a Late Seventeenth-Century Peruvian Painting. M.A./M.S. Project. SUNY Buffalo State University, Buffalo.
ADA Title II Compliant
1
