Largest surviving Renaissance painting by female artist unveiled at the National Gallery after conservation work

Lavinia Fontana’s celebrated painting The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon has rejoined the Dublin gallery’s permanent collection. The gallery purchased the work in 1872.

Italian Fontana was one of the most successful female painters in the history of Western art and The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon is widely recognised as her most ambitious painting.

As part of the unveiling, the gallery has also announced a large-scale exhibition, called Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker, will open in the gallery’s Beit Wing in May 2023.

Exploring the artist’s extraordinary life through her paintings and drawings, it will be the first monographic exhibition of Fontana’s work in over two decades.

The conservation treatment of The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon addressed structural issues as well as aesthetic ones.

Research into the artist’s materials and techniques revealed fascinating details about the painting and its production.

The National Gallery said cracking and instability in the over-400-year-old structure has been arrested so that the painting can be safely displayed and enjoyed for generations to come.

After the painstaking removal of layers of dull and yellow varnish, many previously obscured details were uncovered during the conservation treatment.

This included an inscription, dated 1599, on the base of an ornamental clock held by one of the figures in the composition.

Scientific analysis has identified the pigments Fontana used and given new insights into her workshop practice.

Speaking ahead of the unveiling, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland Sean Rainbird said: “A firm favourite with our visitors, Lavinia Fontana’s striking painting has been a highlight of the gallery’s collection since its acquisition in 1872. It has been a joy to undertake this remarkable conservation project which has captured the imagination of the public. This complex process would not have happened without the extraordinary generosity of Bank of America, and we thank them for their support. We are happy to return the painting to display once again here today – more resplendent than ever.”

Meanwhile, Simone Mancini, Head of Conservation at the National Gallery of Ireland, said: “During this project, Gallery conservators had the opportunity to preserve and enhance this painting’s unique history, undertaking a new campaign of treatments and successfully completing a complex and daunting project with exceptional skill and intense dedication.”

“With this project the National Gallery of Ireland has further developed interdisciplinary co-operation with conservation institutes, museums and research laboratories in Ireland and internationally, as well as sharing skills and developing innovative conservation practices in line with the essence of modern conservation intended as a truly holistic discipline,” he added.

The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon by Lavinia Fontana is on display in Room 27 at the National Gallery of Ireland, as part of the permanent collection, and entry to the permanent collection is free.