2025 Poster Session

One of the foremost artists working in Rome of his time, Carlo Maratti (1625-1713) and his Late Baroque classicism typified the tastes of the nobility and papacy. To help feed the demands for his art, which included Grand Tourists, Maratti managed a vibrant workshop where he trained three generations of successful painters. Within this studio practice, Maratti oversaw the production of studio variations of his most well-received compositions – one of which is The Virgin Reading. This poster explores the alterations and technical discoveries found during the conservation treatment of the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame’s The Virgin Reading by Carlo Maratti (studio), occasioned by the reinstallation of the collection in their new building. Using infrared imaging, x-radiography, and cross sectional analysis of paint samples conservators at the Midwest Art Conservation Center in Minneapolis revealed significant compositional changes made to the Raclin Murphy’s version, including the elimination of an entire figure. These discoveries may help to contextualize the painting within the many other variations of the composition and serve to illustrate the web of relationships among reproductions that emerge from an active workshop such as Maratti’s. The research and conservation treatment of the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art’s The Blessed Virgin Reading demonstrates how art historians and conservators can collaboratively provide a more holistic understanding of the provenance and manufacture of artworks.