Problematyka deformacji portretów z kolekcji Tyszkiewiczów z Łohojska jako przyczynek do badań nad malarstwem staropolskim z końca XVIII wieku
The Problem of Deformation of Portraits from the Collection of Lohoysk Tyszkiewicz Family as a Contribution to the Study of Old Polish Painting of the Late 18th Century

Author(s): Anna Dorota Potocka, Aleksandra Rzeszutek
Subject(s): History, Fine Arts / Performing Arts
Published by: Instytut Badań nad Dziedzictwem Kulturowym Europy
Summary/Abstract: The collection of portraits of Tyszkiewicz family members of the end of the18th century from the National Museum in Warsaw is made up of several dozenpaintings, which as a result of different historical events have been subjectto specific atypical structural damage. The research carried out at the Facultyof Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art at the Academy of Fine Artsin Warsaw, involving the portraits of Michał Tyszkiewicz the Field Hetman ofthe Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Michał Tyszkiewicz the Starost of Strzałkowo,and Leo Tyszkiewicz the Castellan of Lublin was the basis for further researchconcerning Old Polish paintings from the territory of the former Lithuania,with particular consideration of the problem of atypical and unclear reasonsfor their deformation.The basic research problem of the project was to find the reasons for vastdamage of the portrait grounds, which made the surfaces of the pictures looklike a relief. Bulgings up to several milimeters, especially visible in the facesand clothes of the portrayed figures, greatly modified their character and gavethe images a unique form, different from the original. On the reverse, the respectivedeformations made the silhouettes of the painted figures concave.The discovery and identification of the cause of such vast deformationsof paintings have proved to be a very complex process. Thanks to the use ofa wide spectrum of tests, the obtained results have allowed the preliminaryidentification of the causes and a reliable evaluation of effects of the atypicalprocesses of aging of the picture matter.The research involved a number of microcrystaloscopic and other specialistanalyses of pigments and binders used in the artistic process, includingX-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and experiments usinga scanning electron microscope (SEM).In-depth analysis of the technique and technology of painting the picturesin the context of impact of secondary interventions on their present condition,supported with extensive archival search query and scientific research,have allowed to identify previously unexplained physical-chemical reasonsfor deformation.

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