Heritage conservator and restorer Ramon Solé highlighted the "surprising" improvement experienced by the 14th-century polychrome stone sculpture, which arrived at the art gallery in the autumn of 2023. The piece, attributed to the Mestre d’Albesa, will reveal its original colors to the public after an arduous process carried out at the Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de la Generalitat in Valldoreix.
“"It is shocking; the change and improvement experienced by the sculpture is surprising."
Solé will explain the restoration details in a conference next Wednesday (at 7:00 p.m.), where the work can already be viewed. The intervention began with a study confirming several layers of repainting, including three from different eras, the last one dated to the 18th century. The second phase involved the precise, layer-by-layer removal of all added pictorial strata.
“"The piece has now recovered all its medieval splendor, with prominent colors such as the blue of the cloak, the flesh tones of the face and hands, and even the gilding of the hair and beard, typical of that era."
The Sant Salvador will be exhibited for a few weeks in Espai 0 of the Museu de Lleida. The work was acquired by the Generalitat in 2023 for 70,000 euros for the National Art Collection, following years of contact with the family of Nadal Cabiscol, from Vilanova de Segrià.
