MEDIUM PRIORITY PROJECT

This immersive and silent representation of Christmas Eve Mass, the night of December 24, 1917, takes place on the Western Front of World War I, in the heart of the Argonne Forest. Anne Marie Fanet Vieillard, a native painter of Normandy, realized it in earthy, pastel shades that restore the sacredness of the moment. The Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Vatican Museums has an interesting nucleus of works from this artist, that was donated in 1974 to Pope Paul VI by Abbot Pierre Tuarze, rector of Pont-Aven, a meeting place for French Symbolist artists. The restoration of the painting will also be an opportunity to study the production of this talented and lesser-known French painter.

Frame:

• option 1 - application of expansion system if possible
• option 2 - replacement with new expansion frame

Support:

• consolidation and relining of the panel
• if the canvas is fragile, a light lining with thin synthetic canvas and thermoplastic resins will be added  

Pictorial film: varnish removal, plastering, reintegration, and final varnishing

Midnight Mass - Final Restoration Report

The painting depicts soldiers gathered in prayer during Christmas mass in 1907. The state of preservation showed small holes and several folds of the painted surface and support. Also visible on the paint film were anthropogenic scratches resulting in the fall of the very light preparation and color. The painting was probably also folded and rolled up, considering the several deformations present on the surface.

A close look at the side edges reveals the presence of 3 sets of perforations due to various restoration and repositioning interventions on the frame, which does not appear to be the original.

At first visual inspection, the restoration varnish appeared altered and dark, flattening the technique of making the painting and graying the muted tones of the colors used for the representation.

The artist's idea was to reveal the meaning of the Christmas Mass through an oil painting performed with quick brushstrokes, making the thin industrial preparation of the canvas appear visible.