After several months of work conducted in the Conservation and Restoration Laboratory at the “Onufri” Museum by restorer Erion Lezi, the repair intervention on the icon “Six Apostles with Saint Michael,” a work from the early 17th century attributed to Onufër Qiprioti, has been completed.

The restoration of this piece adds yet another reason to visit the “Onufri” Museum, as it presents, for the first time, another salvaged iconographic treasure.

This large-scale icon is an integral part of the grand Deisis, composed of two scenes. For decades, it remained in the holdings of the “Onufri” Museum and is now being displayed for the first time to the public.

Despite having been restored several decades ago, the icon exhibited various issues, including support cracks, frame damage, deterioration of the ground and preparatory layers, and damage to the paint layer. These issues were accompanied by persistent impurities from the previous restoration (wax and paraffin) as well as varnish oxidation. All these factors fragmented the overall scene, distorted the colors and beauty of the icon, and threatened its degradation.

/a.c/