A treasured French painting, long-admired not only for its artistry but for its historic and political message has been restored to its original color at the Louvre and went back on display last week.
Liberty Leading the People, painted in 1831 by Eugene Delacroix in honor of France’s 1830 July Revolution, has appeared on French banknotes and stamps and prints of it are widely distributed. It’s also appeared in adapted versions, with leaders of various movement substituted for the leading woman.
The picture, which has belonged to the French state since 1831 and been in the Louvre since 1874, has undergone several rounds of restoration over the years. The current work involved, among other tasks, removing eight layers of varnish which had yellowed the painting and trapped grime and dust.
It took two restorers, working with advanced technology to determine what was original and what had been added over the years, six months to restore the painting. Because of its size, 2.6 by 3.25 metres, the work had to be done on site. The picture above is of the restored work.
