The first painting, signed and dated 1656 by Francisco de Solís, was presented on May 27th at 8:00 PM after its restoration at the Parish Sanctuary of Perpetual Help in Madrid. This painter, a member of the High Baroque Madrid School, devoted his work to devotional and mythological paintings, much of which is housed in convents, churches, and various museums, including the Prado Museum.
The Annunciation we present is a 265 cm x 159 cm canvas, depicting the figure of Mary prostrate before the angel Gabriel’s announcement; in the center is the halo with the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The colors, composition, and various ornaments demonstrate a painting of exceptional quality.
This painting, belonging to the collection of the Redemptorist Missionaries, was restored by Carlos San Pedro and Lina San Román of Team Cromática, who over the course of several months carried out meticulous work to restore the work to an optimal state of conservation and restore the canvas to its original appearance.
Father Francisco Javier Caballero, superior of the community, spoke at the event, speaking about the importance of caring for and protecting the historical and artistic heritage bequeathed to us by our brothers. He also referred to the Circular from the Dicastery for Culture and Education, which states that a museum cannot be considered separately from the rest of the community’s pastoral and evangelizing activity, but must be understood in relation to the entirety of ecclesial life and with reference to the historical and artistic heritage of each institution, so that it can communicate the sacred, the beautiful, the ancient and the new.
Luis Alberto Pérez Velarde, a doctor in Art History from the Complutense University, then spoke. Luis Alberto has been a member of the State Museum Conservators’ Corps since 2009. He is a curator at the Museo del Greco in Toledo and currently works at the Sorolla Museum and the UCM as an associate professor. In his presentation, he discussed the paintings of Francisco de Solís, particularly our painting, emphasizing the quality of the clothing, colors, and workmanship. He also conducted a comparative study of the artist’s work in the Madrid Baroque period.
Finally, the Artisits Lina San Román and Carlos San Pedro spoke. Both hold degrees in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid, specializing in restoration. Both work at public institutions such as the Cerralbo Museum, the Sorolla Museum, and the National Ceramics Museum in Valencia. They gave a masterclass on the entire restoration process of the Annunciation painting, illustrating step-by-step the work carried out over the past few months. This is a labor of care, conservation, protection, and respect for the work and its creator, so that future generations can enjoy the cultural and artistic legacy they have inherited.
The event concluded with a heartfelt thanks for their work and the presentation of the book “Velázquez y Juan de Pareja,” the latest publication from the Perpetuo Socorro publishing house, to the speakers.
Fr. Francisco Javier Caballero, CSsR.
You can see the presentation of the event at the link:
