2023-12-20 15:19:00
Hélène Verougstraete, professor emeritus at UCL/KUL, and Jean-Pierre Coppens, author of A History of the Mystical Lamb, criticize the restorers of the Irpa (Royal Institute of Artistic Heritage) for having removed an “overpainting ” at the top of the central panel believing, wrongly according to them, that it dated from the 16th century and that it hid the original work of Jan Van Eyck. However, for them, this “overpainting” was indeed by the hand of Jan Van Eyck and in reality hid the initial drawing that his brother Hubert had started before his early death in 1426.
Removing it changed elements of the landscape. They show, for example, that “the meadow before the restoration, dotted with hills and crossed by a path, today gives way to a flat and empty meadow. Bushes and shrubs, once abundant, have become skeletal and thin.” They also point to the metamorphosis of the Lamb: “Hubert had probably painted the first Lamb, unrealistic and naive, with poorly placed ears and ‘human aligned’ eyes. Jan would have corrected him,” they claim.
In a long press release, the competent ministers for Culture and Heritage, Jan Jambon and Matthias Diependaele, completely refute these accusations, which they have known about since May. The decision to remove this 16th century layer and discover the original was taken, they recall, on the basis of in-depth scientific research and on the recommendation of the International Commission for the Preservation of The Mystic Lamb, composed of 23 experts from abroad, from various disciplines. All the experts concerned and consulted since May (national advisory committee, Masterpieces Council and international committee) confirmed that “the removal of the old overpaintings caused no damage and revealed the original brushstroke of the Van Eycks”.
For the international commission of experts, Ms Verougstraete’s assertions were “distorted by incomplete and misinterpreted documents”. In a second press release released Wednesday afternoon, the reasoned opinions of these commissions were published. They respond in more detail to the accusations made. During the restoration, experts repeat, “only the 16th century repaintings were removed; the original layers of paint by Jan and Hubert van Eyck have remained intact. Like the Council of Saint-Bavon Cathedral, the authorities “confirm their confidence in the curators of Irpa, and await the third phase of restoration”.
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