Rubens's Venus and Cupid Restored at Thyssen-Bornemisza

After an 18-month restoration, Peter Paul Rubens's 'Venus and Cupid' has returned to display at Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The paint was in good condition, but yellowed varnish had dulled the colors. Conservators removed the varnish and touched up areas, recovering the original hues. A technical study using infrared reflectography revealed a clear underdrawing, confirming the work is a copy of a Titian painting. X-rays showed Rubens altered Venus's gaze in the mirror from looking at the viewer to glancing left. Analysis of the canvas layers found a calcium carbonate ground, a primer of white lead and charcoal, and a varnish of rosin and beeswax. Rubens copied all Titian works owned by Philip IV during a 1620s trip to Spain; his estate listed over 30 Titian copies. The most similar surviving Titian original is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. A special exhibition from June 18 to September 13 presents the restored painting alongside a digital display of the conservation process.