Metropolitan Museum of Art's Spanish Ceiling

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) is renovating the Arts of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia galleries, a project requiring the conservation of the ‘Spanish Ceiling’, a 33 ´ 28 ft, sixteenth century Moorish-influenced painted and gilded wood ceiling. This paper focuses on the history, construction, configuration, and treatment of the ceiling. The ceiling was purchased for William Randolph Hearst in the 1920s, though never installed. In 1956 it was donated to the MMA and in the 1970s it was placed in the Islamic galleries until it was dismantled in 2004. An eighteen month conservation project began in 2007 and included provenance and manufacturing research, scientific analysis, conservation and digital mapping of the ceiling’s modifications and condition. These studies revealed information about the ceiling’s origin, materials, and restorations. A significant discovery was that the ceiling had been completely altered and enlarged, leading to the investigation of its possible original configuration.

Figure 3 Detailed image of the original surface decoration, 2008. (MMA)

Figure 12 Original medallion found on relocated and reused board inside corner stalactite, Fr._2SW, 2008. (MMA, Batyah Shtrum)

Batyah Shtrum, MS Art Conservation

Batyah Shtrum is a member of SBE Conservation, LLC and is currently analysing the MMA’s Italian bronze collection. Batyah was an Assistant Objects Conservator at the MMA from 2007 to 2009 working on the Spanish Ceiling project and in the Wrightsman Galleries.

Melanie Brussat, MA Art History

Melanie Brussat is a freelance objects conservator in New York. She worked as an Assistant Conservator at the MMA from 2006 to 2009.

Miguel Garcia, MA Art Conservation

Miguel Garcia worked in private practice in furniture conservation and as a conservator of panel paintings at the Portuguese Institute of Conservation and Restoration until 2007, when he moved to the USA. He worked as an Assistant Conservator at the MMA from 2007 to 2009.

Timothy Hayes, HND Furniture Restoration

Timothy Hayes is the Deputy Director for Conservation Services at the Heritage Conservation Centre in Singapore. He worked as an Associate Conservator at the MMA from 2007 to 2009.

Stephanie Massaux, BFA Restoration

Stephanie Massaux is an independent contractor based in New York, specializing in the conservation and restoration of gilt wood objects, furniture and frames. She worked at the MMA as an Assistant Conservator from 2006 to 2009.

More information on the Journal of Architectural Conservation.

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Donhead Publishing 2012