Review article
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2025.24
Descent from the Cross and the Winged Altarpiece with the Crucifixion on Golgotha from the Sacristy of the Zagreb Cathedral – Challenges of Preserving Paintings on Wooden Supports in Heated Spaces
Pavao Lerotić
orcid.org/0009-0000-9409-7672
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Zagreb
Abstract
The sacristy of the Zagreb cathedral, which forms the northern part of the cathedral complex, attained its present form after the 1880 earthquake. Among the artworks in the sacristy are two paintings executed in a combined temperaand-oil technique on wood: Descent from the Cross, from the first half of the 17th century, and the winged altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion on Golgotha, from the 15th century.
Descent from the Cross is part of a set of painted doors from the grand high altar of Bishop Franjo Ergelski, commissioned for the Zagreb cathedral in 1632. The painting was restored at the Institute for the Restoration of Works of Art in Zagreb (1993–1994) in preparation for the exhibition The Holy Trail: 900 Years of Art in the Zagreb Archdiocese (Sveti trag: devetsto godina umjetnosti zagrebačke nadbiskupije) held in 1994 at the Mimara Museum in Zagreb. Prior to the exhibition and restoration, the painting was housed in the parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Savski Nart. Its condition at that time was relatively good, although the surface was covered with dirt and layers of overpaint. Restoration included cleaning the surface, removing subsequent layers of varnish and overpaint, repairing the wooden support, and retouching damaged areas. Detached panels and cracks were re-joined, and wooden slats with grooves and wedges were mounted on the back of the painting (‘cradling’). After the exhibition closed in January 1995, the painting was not returned to the parish church in Savski Nart, and it was permanently relocated to the sacristy of Zagreb cathedral.
The instability of the painted layer and the detachment of paint fragments from the wooden support had already been noted during the exhibition at the Mimara Museum, necessitating urgent intervention. The damage was attributed to unfavourable microclimatic conditions, particularly low relative humidity due to the heating of the exhibition space. Following the relocation of the painting to the south wall of the sacristy, new damage, including localized paint lifting and deformation of the support, began appearing. These issues persisted despite periodic consolidation efforts.
In December 2022, Descent from the Cross was removed from the wall and transported to the Croatian Conservation Institute’s Department of Easel Painting 2, where emergency conservation and restoration was carried out in 2023. All activities were conducted under the Emergency Interventions programme of the Institute’s Division for Movable Heritage. After the work was completed, the painting was stored in the Institute’s Ludbreg Department for Conservation alongside its counterpart, the Mocking of Christ.
The second artwork in the sacristy, also visibly affected by unfavourable microclimatic conditions and numerous earlier repairs, is the winged altarpiece on the east wall of the new sacristy. Comprising three painted panels, the central one depicts the Crucifixion on Golgotha, while the side wings feature the Descent from the Cross and the Resurrection. The reverse sides of the wings, visible when the triptych is closed, display scenes of the Circumcision of Christ and Adoration of the Shepherds. This winged altarpiece, or triptych, was remodelled during the cathedral’s late-19th-century renovation on the basis of designs by Herman Bollé and Enrico Nordio, with woodworking by Ivan Budicki.
The painted panels of the triptych, which remained in the sacristy during and after the 2020 earthquake, suffered similar damage to that on the Descent from the Cross because of unsuitable microclimatic conditions. The surfaces of the paintings also show raised fragments of paint and swelling caused by the heating of the sacristy and fluctuations in relative humidity and temperature. These conditions led to the drying and shrinking of the wooden support and the painted layer. The damage was most severe on the external concave sides, particularly on the panel depicting the Circumcision of Christ.
As demonstrated by the artworks in the sacristy of Zagreb Cathedral, contemporary conservators face new challenges that test established methods for protecting and preserving paintings on wooden supports and other art objects. Heating in winter and cooling in summer have become standard practices in wealthier regions of the world. The availability of energy sources, new materials and methods in construction, and sophisticated temperature-control systems have enabled levels of comfort unimaginable in previous centuries. However, controlled air temperatures in spaces where art is stored or displayed, such as museums and churches, have profound consequences for artworks on wood and other hygroscopic materials. Damage observed on paintings, sculptures and other art objects, as well as the impact of earthquakes in Zagreb and the Petrinja area, underscore the importance of maintaining controlled environments for stored artworks. Awareness is growing that proper storage management, tailored to the needs of stored items, is the most critical responsibility of institutions tasked with caring for artistic heritage.
Keywords
Zagreb cathedral; sacristy; painting; altar; wooden support; damage; air humidity; preventive conservation; storage rooms
Hrčak ID:
342766
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2025.
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