Location
Slovenia, Ljubljana
National Gallery
Original location:
Slovenia
Unknown
Artwork
The sculptures of angels in the National Gallery in Ljubljana
Type
Sculpture
Dimensions
Height: 75 cm, width: 60 cm, depth: 65 cm
Critical History
In 1985 the National Gallery bough these two sculptures, attributed to Joseph Straub, from a private owner in Ljubljana.1 The two angels were published for the first time by Sergej Vrišer. He assumed that both the angels had probably been set in the altar entablature of some smaller side altar.2 At the time of his writing, the sculptures were in storage, but since 2016, they have been on display as a part of the new permanent exhibition of the National Gallery.
Construction / Execution
The sculptures are made of wood. They are naturalistically painted, the drapery and wings imitate gold.
Components
- Sculpture
- Sculpture
- Author: Joseph Straub (Wiesensteig 1712 – Maribor 1756)
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): limewood
- Polychromy
- Polychromy
- Technique(s): oil, water gilding
- Material(s): Bologna chalk, gold leaf, red bole, size
Conservation-restoration
- 2006–2010
Strategy: removing dirt, removing one or several historic repolychromies
Approach to the presentation of losses
Reintegration of lacunae – mimetic: total
Reintegration of losses – other: total
Materials: acetone, Bologna chalk, demineralized water, gold leaf, gold powder, Lascaux® Medium for Consolidation, Paraloid B-72, Primal AC 35, rabbit-skin glue, red bole, triamonium citrate, xylene, yellow bole
Treatment Description
The sculptures were restored in the restoration workshop of the National Gallery in Ljubljana.
A few samples of layers from each statue were taken to analyse the materials. During the restoration, layers of repolychromies and bronze painting were removed. The wood and polychromy were impregnated with consolidant. Some retouching was done to minimize the uneven effect of varied damage. Lacunae on the statues were reintegrated.
Images
- The sculpture of an angel in the National Gallery in Ljubljana (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of an angel in the National Gallery in Ljubljana, detail (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of an angel in the National Gallery in Ljubljana (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of an angel in the National Gallery in Ljubljana, detail (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
Catalogue entry prepared by Valentina Pavlič and Saša Dolinšek
Recommended citation: Valentina Pavlič and Saša Dolinšek, The sculptures of angels in the National Gallery in Ljubljana, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 19/10/2025) URL
