Portrait of Alessandro Manzoni

It is the most popular image of the writer, who submitted himself, overcoming his natural reluctance, to the drudgery of fifteen sittings, given the painter’s scruples to render everything from life, even the accessories.
The portrait was commissioned by his wife Teresa and her son Stephen, and was also much loved in the family for the natural, non-rhetorical pose.

The canvas is in the Transparent Restoration Laboratory in Room XVIII where the current intervention can be seen (fig. 2). The painting was burdened by oxidation of the surface varnish, which was dulled and yellowed.
In addition, we know from a writing by Hayez that the work was accidentally damaged by the artist himself while he was making a copy soon after the writer’s death: some retouches near these small tears in the canvas appear altered today.

Before restoration, the painting underwent a thorough photographic and diagnostic campaign (fig. 3), including diffuse and grazing light shots, macrophotographs and microscope photographs, infrared reflectography (IRR), infrared false color (IRFC), and ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF). The outcomes and direct observations of the work allowed for a deeper understanding of the artist’s technique, enabling each phase of the restoration work to be set up.

Painting technique

The linen canvas measures 119x93x2 cm, and it is mounted on a wooden frame equipped with a horizontal leg breaker (fig. 4).
The surface was initially prepared with a light homogeneous layer, over which the pictorial layers obtained with fluid oil backgrounds are spread (fig. 5, 6).

Previous restoration and state of preservation

As a result of the mentioned episode that occurred to the artist, the painting underwent a lining intervention and retouches in the affected areas (fig. 7). The intervention is not documented, but it was of good technical quality.
A non-original natural varnish was laid over the surface of the painting already moted in frame, saving an inch along the perimeter. Dense brushstrokes of varnish can be seen in UVF (fig. 8). Some small color falls and minimal abrasions are visible, especially along the perimeter.

Restoration work

Restoration began by removing the incoherent particulate with brushes and low-intensity vacuum cleaners. After an initial superficial cleaning performed with a surfactant, thinning of the oxidized paint followed (fig. 9). Finally minimal gaps were reintegrated with watercolor paints, and a light protective varnish was applied to the surface.
At the end of the restoration, the painting regained legibility and depth of color (fig. 10), and it was displayed in the new setting of the 19th-century rooms.