Girl with the pearl earring.

[Allan Rahbek]

The famous portrait by Vermeer has been cleaned.

The Danish conservator that carried out the removal of the old varnish told a curious thing about it.
He was surprised to discover that the old varnish contained black pigment. It was actually a dark glaze intentionally applied to make the painting look old.

The former varnish was carried out in the fifties and has now been removed and re varnished. The painting called "The girl with the pearl earring" is now as brilliant in color as it was intended.

Allan

[Linda Brandon]

Hi Allan,

If you have a photo of this I'd love to see it. I wonder if this is as controversial an act as cleaning the Sistine Chapel Ceiling was a few years ago.

[Allan Rahbek]

Linda,

The conservator was interviewed in TV and I did not see the painting, Maybe It could be found since it is at the Maurits Huis I Holland.

What about the Night Watch by Rembrandt ? It had become so dark that people regarded it a night scene. I saw it in the sixties just after it had been cleaned and would never have thought that it was a night scene.

I think that the glazing with black glaze was controversial and not the cleaning.

Allan