Label
2024, “Endangered Art: Reclaiming a Legacy”
Called the “Millet of the Prairie,” Topekan artist George Melville Stone studied art in New York and Paris. Upon returning to Kansas, Stone and artist Albert T. Reid founded an art school, which later became Washburn University’s art department. Model for a Head of Christ is a study for a painting depicting the biblical Last Supper. The three-quarter bust-length pose, strong contrast of dark and light, and luminous painted flesh share affinities with the work of 17th-century Dutch master Rembrandt.
Prior to conservation, Model for a Head of Christ had severe systems of cracks (craquelure), flaking, cupping paint, and delamination. The painting was given a new linen backing, and then it was heated on a suction table and cooled under pressure. This treatment brought the work back into plane, alleviating the craquelure and most of the other paint issues. Conservators cleaned it, filled in losses, and coated it with new protective varnish.