Modestini ’ s essay in the lavish booklet put out by Christie ’ s for the picture ’ s upcoming auction offers interesting observations that tend to support a Leonardo attribution , “. . . in comparison with paintings by Leonardo ’ s followers , studio assistants and even other autograph works , is the complex build-up of the paint layers . The flesh tones are perhaps the best example .” She also notes that , “. . . for the most part , the passages not affected are well preserved , retaining all of their glazes and scumbles . It is immediately apparent in a photograph of the painting in its cleaned state that , apart from the areas of loss , the subtle transitions created by Leonardo ’ s complex process survive intact . Many passages are perfectly preserved , notably the curls on the right , and the blessing hand .” 2
Concerning the accuracy of photographic representations and ensuing commentary on the restoration , Modestini had this to say :
“ I have refrained from commenting on some of the recent articles about the restoration . However , in light of the fact that no one can now see the actual painting , various digital images are standing in for the original , all of which can be manipulated any way one wants and are a sort of falsification of the original .
It is very difficult to photograph any painting accurately , this one especially , because of the many thin layers , subtlety of skin tones , delicacy of transitions etc . Most paintings have three dimensions , not two . That affects our perception of them . I hardly recognize the image that now passes for the ” Salvator Mundi .”
Leonardo da Vinci ( 1452-1519 ), attrib . Salvator Mundi oil on panel 25.8 ” x 19.2 ” Location presently unknown The restored painting in the frame , as sold by Christie ’ s , New York in 2017 .
The photo lamps or strobes ( in the case of the Christie ’ s images ) produce a simulacrum of the actual painting , more vivid , sharper , snazzier , if you will , than the actual battered image that I restored as carefully as I could , trying not to invent anything . These flashy images cannot include the nuances and problems created by the three dimensionality of the corrugated surface and are being compared with an only slightly more accurate scan of a good 8 ”× 10 ” transparency of the cleaned state , which was more honest .” 3 Artist Stan Miller in his studio , 2020 .
32 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE