Fabritius - The goldfinch

Carel Fabritius painted The goldfinch shortly before his death in 1654. In 2003 this exceptional painting was subjected to a technical examination and restored in one of the galleries of the Mauritshuis under the watchful eye of the public. The examination and restoration led to some surprising discoveries.

Varnish removal
During restoration it emerged that the wall behind the goldfinch was not yellow, but greyish-white. The varnish had discoloured substantially in the course of time. When this was removed, the wall turned out to be much whiter.

Before restoration	After restauration	Paint cross section with smalt

To determine the precise composition of the paint in the wall, a miniscule paint sample from the edge of the panel. Microscopic examination revealed that the paint consisted mostly of lead white, into which Fabritius mixed small grains of umber or ochre pigment. Surprising was the presence of large blue splinters of finely ground cobalt glass, or smalt. By adding this pigment Fabritius gave the greyish-white wall a cooler tone.

• varnish removal
• panel scanned
• two phases
• trompe l'oeil