109 The Church of Our Lady od Špilice – St Mary retable / St Joseph retable Treatment concept The treatment concept was developed within the framework of the general ICWL standards and prioritises the conservation measures. Restoration was limited to selected areas of particular concern. Another aim was to ensure the congruence of both retables. Consolidation and conservation treatment was urgent. Since the small retables could easily be reached with scaffolding, it was possible to perform the treatment in situ, thus avoiding the risky dismantling of the retables. The aim of the restoration and reconstructive treatment was not to hide every sign of ageing but was restricted to eliminate the most disruptive interruptions in surface, colour, and outline of the retable in the lower levels of the retable which are closest to the viewer. The St Joseph retable was much more damaged by insects than the St Mary retable. The formal unity and the lines of the structure, particularly at the fluting of the columns and at the corners of the architrave, were disturbed by a large number of voids. For this reason, the reconstruction of these areas was decided. The retouching protocol consisted in closing every new filling and the visible white preparation. The aim was to improve the readability of the ensemble and to obtain a more aesthetic result by just adjusting the colours, without intervening too much and without adding any new gilding. Treatment Weakened wood was consolidated with 20% Plexigum PQ 611 in Shellsol T/toluene (9/1) by injection and brush application. This was followed by removing the disturbing glossy adhesive from earlier treatments using acetone and consolidating the polychromy and gilding with Medium for Consolidation. The wooden pieces for the cut-out gaps of the column base of both retables were reconstructed on a lathe and put in place with glue and a central screw (Fig. 173 – 176). The losses in the columns of the Joseph retable were reconstructed by using the base filler and top filler with an additional reinforcement by prefixed bamboo sticks and balsa wood75 (Fig.177 - 182). Corroded nails were sanded and then treated with Paraloid B 72. Additions, fillings, and areas with visible white preparation were retouched with Paraloid B72 and dry pigments 76 (Fig. 182 - 185).
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