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Transforming the National Gallery, one painting at a time
The museum’s head of framing, Peter Schade, is quietly changing how we see the world’s most famous paintings. Isabella Smith goes behind the scenes
Here, with the rumble of tube trains passing underneath, Schade creates, repairs and fits the frames that will protect masterpieces while also colouring our perceptions, whether we notice their effect or not. When I visit, the workshop floor is filled by a half-finished frame almost three metres long, designed to replace the 1950s reproduction antique that previously encased The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian(1475) by Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo. This work is a delicate balance of art and craft: the skill to create a perfect imitation of a carved baroque cherub, for example, and the aesthetic sensitivity to anticipate what effect it will have on an artwork.
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