Approaches to the Care of Correggio’s Madonna of Saint Sebastian

Helen Kohn, M.A.

Correggio’s Madonna of Saint Sebastian, which is currently undergoing restoration at the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, serves as the point of departure for my doctoral project on Correggio’s painting and the “visionary” altarpiece. During my research stay at the Bibliotheca Hertziana, I will address two topics with the objective of exploring the different approaches that were taken to care for Correggio’s Madonna of Saint Sebastian. My initial research will concentrate on the circumstances surrounding the creation of Correggio’s panel painting, with a particular emphasis on the frequently overlooked issue of collaboration between the woodworker and artist. This raises the question of what safety measures were taken in preventing damage to the panel in the future. Furthermore, I intend to explore the conservation history of Correggio’s painting in the Este collection in Modena, where it was from the middle of the seventeenth century until its sale and transfer to Dresden in 1746. While my primary focus is on Correggio’s altarpiece, I also aim to shed light on broader issues pertaining to the collaboration between artists and woodworkers, as well as the prevailing conservation practices within the Ducal collection.