Sometimes a painting can reveal more than meets the eye.
Technical examination of John Singer Sargent’s Egyptian Indigo Dyers has revealed some surprising details, including an underlying composition and fingerprints along the edge of the canvas.
Following extensive conservation treatment, the painting can once again be admired by visitors to the museum.
John Singer Sargent, Egyptian Indigo Dyers, 1891
Indigo?
Sargent painted Egyptian Indigo Dyers after travelling in Western Asia and North Africa. He had gone there in search of inspiration for his murals in the Boston Public Library. Along the way, he met local craftspeople such as indigo dyers.
At the time, the British colonisers were trying to suppress this centuries-old technique for dyeing cloth. Sargent may have wanted his painting to draw attention to the people still making a living from this threatened tradition.
It is unclear whether Sargent used genuine indigo for the blue areas, but we do know that his palette included cobalt and ultramarine.
Hendrik Willem Mesdag & Sientje Mesdag van-Houten
How did this work end up in the collection?
Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten acquired the painting at some point between 1899 and 1902, possibly with the help of Italian artist Antonio Mancini, a friend of Sargent’s who sold several works to the Mesdags.
Egyptian Indigo Dyers is the only work by Sargent in a Dutch public collection.
Halfway through the varnish removal, it is clearly visible that the old varnish on the right has already been partially removed
Colours regain their clarity
The painting was in need of conservation treatment. The yellowed varnish layer has been removed, making the colours more visible once again. In particular, the figures’ white garments now appear fresher and lighter.
Where possible, old retouches and overpaintings that had discoloured over time were removed, and new retouches were applied. The painting was then given a new varnish layer.
In and under the paint
The research also led to a surprising discovery. Hidden underneath the current composition lies an earlier image: a cropped pair of legs. These bear a striking resemblance to a figure in a work of 17th-century artist Diego Velázquez. Sargent had studied and copied Velázquez’s style during his time in Spain.
This discovery suggests that Sargent may have reused a previously painted canvas. It is thought that he cut up one of the copies he had made of a Velázquez into smaller canvases to take on his trip to Egypt. It is even possible to see part of the red ground layer with the naked eye at the bottom left of Egyptian Indigo Dyers.
Removing the varnish revealed another remarkable detail: fingerprints became more visible along the right-hand edge of the painting. It is likely that Sargent handled the painting there while the paint was still wet.
Beneath the current composition lies an earlier image: a cropped pair of legs
Fingerprints became visible along the right-hand edge of the painting
Now on display
With the return of Egyptian Indigo Dyers, one of the highlights of the Mesdag Collection is once again on display. This work illustrates how Sargent drew inspiration from Egypt during his travels, and gives us a glimpse into his way of working: travelling, observing and perhaps even painting on reused canvas.
