Volume 4 of the National Gallery of Art’s biennial conservation research journal Facture examines the complex themes of series, multiples, and replicas. With a broad historical purview that spans from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, this publication considers various modes of replication—by the artist’s own hand or workshop, as a posthumous creation, or as a preferred practice—and their motivations. Drawing on new research into materials and techniques, nine essays focus on works in diverse media by artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Auguste Rodin, and Robert Rauschenberg and present intriguing conclusions about the nature of serialization and the relationships among multiple versions of a composition. Filled with detailed photographs and fresh discoveries, this volume provides exceptional insight into these extraordinary works of art and offers the possibility of exciting new avenues of inquiry.

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Facture presents the latest conservation research on masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, spanning the early Renaissance through the present and encompassing a range of media.  Volume 2 examines great art of two very different eras—the Italian Renaissance and the 20th century—and puts in new contexts works such as Giotto’s  Madonna and Child,  bronze sculptures by Auguste Rodin, watercolors by John Marin, early paintings by Andy Warhol, and  Mark Rothko’s multiforms, which mark the birth of his abstraction.  Seven essays are illustrated with outstandingly detailed photography and share a common approach. They each begin with meticulous material and analytical study of the work and then place the findings in a broader historical context, providing new perspectives on well-known works.  A fascinating contribution to interdisciplinary scholarship on art, this publication extends a tradition of fostering dialogue among art historians, scientists, and conservators in the international community.


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This volume of Facture, a biennial journal that presents the latest conservation research on works of art at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, focuses exclusively on conservation treatment, technical art history, and scientific research related to masterpieces by the beloved French artist Edgar Degas (1834–1917).  The National Gallery’s extraordinary collection of sculptures, paintings, and works on paper by Degas, including an incomparable group of his wax sculptures—among them his iconic Little Dancer Aged Fourteen—allows the institution to contribute significantly to understanding the artist’s methods and intentions. This volume features discussions of the notion of “finish” in Degas’s paintings, the complex makeup of his wax sculptures, the casting of posthumous bronzes, his innovative use of multiple layers of pastel and fixative in a late work on paper, and even a sonnet that Degas wrote to his “little dancer.”

With this volume, the National Gallery of Art introduces a journal presenting the latest conservation research on works in its collection. Named for “the manner in which things are made,” Facture addresses aspects of conservation from treatment and technical art history to scientific research.

The inaugural volume focuses on great works of the Renaissance, studying sculpture, painting, and drawing from various points of view. With the publication of this biennial journal, the National Gallery maintains a tradition of fostering dialogue among art historians, scientists, and conservators working in the international museum community.


*This eBook is available exclusively on the A&AePortal*