Rubens's "Bacchus" from the Hermitage Sent for Restoration

The painting "Bacchus" by Peter Paul Rubens, held in the Hermitage, has been sent for restoration. The work will take about two years and is to be completed in time for the 450th anniversary of the artist's birth.

The need for restoration is explained by the fact that the artist's original paint layer lies hidden beneath later retouchings and varnishes, which have darkened and yellowed considerably over time, markedly distorting the original colouring and tonal scheme.

Rubens painted the canvas, which depicts the ancient god of wine and revelry, in the last years of his life, between 1638 and 1640. Remarkably, the artist created the work for himself rather than for sale.

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Rubens's "Bacchus" from the Hermitage Sent for Restoration

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At the close of the Strugatskys' "Roadside Picnic" the Golden Sphere is asked for this: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to leave no one aggrieved, but the digest really does come free

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