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Filippo Lippi's 'The Adoration in the Forest' to undergo two-year restoration in Berlin

cultural-heritage · 2026-05-05

The restoration of Filippo Lippi's 1459 artwork 'The Adoration in the Forest' will be undertaken by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin over a span of two years. This project, supported by the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung and the Schoof'schen Stiftung, has a financial plan ranging from €100,000 to €500,000. Currently housed in the Gemäldegalerie, the tempera-on-panel piece was once located in the Palazzo Medici chapel and became part of Berlin's collection in the 1820s, surviving the aftermath of WWII. In 2023, conservators discovered deteriorating 19th-century varnish affecting the Virgin's cloak and skin. Anja Wolf, the conservator, called the initiative unprecedented, while curator Neville Rowley views Lippi as a transitional figure, intending to highlight details that foreshadow Botticelli's 'Primavera' in a future exhibition.

Key facts

  • Filippo Lippi's 'The Adoration in the Forest' (1459) will undergo a two-year restoration by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
  • Funding is provided by the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung and the Schoof'schen Stiftung, with a budget between €100,000 and €500,000.
  • The painting is in the Gemäldegalerie's permanent collection.
  • It was originally the centerpiece of the Palazzo Medici chapel in Florence.
  • The painting entered Berlin collections in the 1820s and was war booty in the US after WWII.
  • A 19th-century varnish layer was found to be degrading and lifting the paint in 2023.
  • Affected areas include the Virgin's blue cloak, her skin, and gold leaf sections.
  • Conservator Anja Wolf is leading the project, which is the first of its kind for her.
  • Curator Neville Rowley plans a future exhibition on the Lippi-Botticelli dynasty.
  • The restoration will investigate Lippi's use of oil paint alongside egg tempera.

Entities

Artists

  • Filippo Lippi
  • Sandro Botticelli
  • Filippino Lippi
  • Benozzo Gozzoli
  • Fra Angelico
  • Donatello
  • Cosimo de' Medici
  • Tim Parks

Institutions

  • Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
  • Gemäldegalerie
  • Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung
  • Schoof'schen Stiftung
  • Palazzo Medici
  • Galleria degli Uffizi
  • The Art Newspaper

Locations

  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • Florence
  • Italy
  • Kulturforum
  • United States

Sources