Have you ever been curious about how the restoration of a painting actually happens? The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the oldest public art gallery in Australia, has created an online diary to track the conservation treatment of Crossing of the Red Sea, a prized painting by Nicolas Poussin. The diary began in January 2011 and guides its readers step by step through the restoration process.

Crossing of the Red Sea was acquired by the gallery in 1948, and remains one of the most highly regarded works in the NGV collection. It is also considered to be one of the masterpieces of this influential 17th century painter, whose works feature clarity, logic and order.

The restoration is being sponsored by BNP Paribas and its Foundation, in celebration of the bank’s 130th year in Australia.

About the painting:
Nicolas POUSSIN
French 1594–1665, worked in Italy
The Crossing of the Red Sea c.1634
oil on canvas
155.6 x 215.3 cm
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1948
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria