Spectacular Discovery after Restoration : Van Heemskerck's Masterpiece are Two Separate Paintings

For the first ever retrospective exhibition of Maarten van Heemskerck (Heemskerck, 1498 – Haarlem, 1574) in Museum Frans Hals, the iconic painting Saint Luke Painting the Madonna (1532) had been extensively researched and restored.

During the research and restoration it became clear that the painting originally consisted of two parts. These parts were connected with an intermediate piece at the end of the 16th century, after the Beeldenstorm. The background of the painting also appears to have been painted over in the 17th century. It is technically complicated to remove a 17th century overpaint from a 16th century layer of paint.

After extensive research and restoration the result can be called groundbreaking. Now that the overpainting has been removed, the original colors can be seen again, which gives the work much more depth and spaciousness and therefore make it even more exciting. The restoration also provides more insight into the artist's studio practice and how innovative he was for his time. The painting will be shown in two parts for the first time in four centuries in the Maarten van Heemskerck exhibition, together with 132 other works, including 49 paintings by this enterprising artist.

Lidewij de Koekkoek – director of the Frans Hals Museum: “These discoveries provide important new insights into Heemskerck's work and studio practice. He is rightly considered one of the most important 16th-century artists from the Northern Netherlands. The exhibition makes it clear how innovative, expressive and theatrical the work of this Dutch Renaissance artist is."

Main Image :Courtesy Frans Hals Museum