Technical Study and Restoration of Mujer tumbada [Woman lying down], by Pedro Ribera y Dutaste

Mujer tumbada [Woman lying down], by Pedro Ribera y Dutaste, is one of a small number of anonymous works from the Museo de Arte Moderno whose authorship and provenance became known thanks to old photographs preserved in the photography archive of the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute (IPCE). The work showed significant damage to the support and paint layer, so in 2023 it was transferred to the Museum's restoration workshop for treatment.

Restoration Team

María Barra Ríos, Irene Bustos García, Alicia García González, Begoña Juárez Marcos, Angelina Porres Sepúlveda  

Restoration Technique

In Ribera y Dutaste's production, the pastel technique is particularly noteworthy, with which he produced Mujer tumbada (Woman lying down), an unusual example of pastel applied to canvas, as it is more common to use cardboard or paper as a support.  

Various 15th-century artists' recipe books explain how pastel was made by hand. Pure pigments were ground on a hard stone together with various fillers such as calcium carbonate or clays. The mixture was bound with a certain amount of binder, generally substances of animal or vegetable origin, such as fish glue or gum arabic. Finally, additives such as honey or milk were added to make the mixture malleable and to obtain a uniform paste that was left to dry in the air or in moulds. In this way, small sticks of square or circular cross-section were obtained. By the 17th century it was possible to buy these sticks from traders, and by the 18th century some Swiss manufacturers were exporting their pastels throughout Europe, which led to an improvement in the manufacturing technique and considerably widened the range of colours as new pigments were discovered. The emergence of a wide range of shades and textures in the second half of the 19th century led to a revival of the technique.

The execution of Woman lying down is fast and light, with long, vibrant strokes that give the composition an unfinished appearance. The painter applied different colour bases which he corrected in later phases of painting, as can be seen in the initially larger mass of hair. Erosion and surface wear have erased certain details of the clothing, although various marks and drawings can be seen below the background, as well as two of the artist's signatures on the left side of the painting.

In the lower left corner there is a partially erased inscription applied with a dry medium, probably charcoal. Thanks to the fluorescence induced by ultraviolet light, its outline can be seen more clearly. It seems likely that this inscription is related to the theme or iconography of the work. Similarly, this examination technique allows the fine lines of the female figure's inscription in the background and the thicker strokes that mark her silhouette to be seen more clearly.

The canvas is linen with a Z-twist direction and a fine-weave taffeta weave, on which sits a light-brown oily preparation. The stamp of the Parisian house of Maison Blanchet can be seen on the back of the canvas (partially visible on the reverse, thanks to ultraviolet light examination).    

The original frame has a metal tensioning system, probably purchased from Maison Blanchet together with the canvas. This company used to supply the frames made by Maison Bourgeois, which was active between 1867 and 1962, so it is possible that the frame model belongs to this factory. However, on the back of the wooden frame there are cardboard sashes covering the frame and part of the stretcher, with the stamp of the Cristalería VIC in Madrid, which would indicate that the work was reframed on its arrival in the capital.

 

State of Conservation

The work arrived at the Museum's restoration workshop with an unprotected wooden frame. It showed significant damage to the support, such as tears, holes and deformations caused by blows and handling. The pictorial layer had suffered major erosions and scratches that distorted the perception of the work. Non-original chalk strokes were also visible on the surface and on the reverse, along with splashes in the flesh tones.

 

Treatment carried out

The work methodology and the materials used were adapted to the technical characteristics of the work, which prevented it from being placed face down. Once the surface dirt had been removed from the back, the deformations of the support were eliminated by applying weight and controlled humidity to the back of the canvas. It was necessary to interpose Holytex (non-woven polyester) release film and barrier paper to avoid possible abrasions or erosions on the surface of the cake.  

In order to restore the holding capacity and stability of the canvas, grafts were made with linen cloth previously prepared with a brownish stucco, with similar characteristics, tone and weft to the original support. The grafts were reinforced on the back with highly resistant and flexible Japanese kozo fibre paper, which was adhered with an aqueous dispersion of EVA ART vinyl resin - an adhesive that can be used cold and in a vertical position and dries quickly. In some areas of the support, the holes caused by tears were very small, so it was decided to fill them with linen fibre, bound with klucel in alcohol to allow them to adhere.  

The chromatic reintegration of the lacunae was carried out with pastel colours. Scratches and splashes were veiled to reintegrate the figure into the background and to recover the qualities of the figure's flesh tones and clothing. The process was adapted at all times to the artist's technique, using both pencils and powdered mixtures applied with a brush without a binder, blurring it slightly to achieve greater adherence to the support.  

The frame was restored and brought back into line with the work. The paint was sufficiently compact and not powdery, as would have been expected as no fixing layer was originally applied to the pastel. This technical feature was therefore respected and protected with Mirogard UV-filtering glass and a polycarbonate backing.

About the author

Pedro Ribera y Dutaste (Madrid or Lisbon 1867 - Ciboure, 1949), also known as Pierre Ribera or Perico Ribera, trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando and later in Paris. His style was in keeping with the official, bourgeois taste of the French fin-de-siècle. In his work of the 1890s and 1900s he habitually painted mundane scenes, Spanish genre subjects, nudes and female portraits, to which he later added urban views and landscapes resulting from his travels.  

At the 1896 Salon he presented Woman Lying Down under the title Bacchante, and in 1898 he began to collaborate from Paris with the magazines Blanco y negro and La Ilustración española y americana. Linked to the French Basque Country, in 1908 he was one of the founders of the group of Basque painters of Ciboure - known as les Neuf - where he lived from 1930 until his death.