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TIL: The Victorians used to put beauty filters on old paintings to make them fit the standards of the day.
Motive for changing faces is understandable, but why put effort into removing that vase thing she’s holding?
From an article about the painting, it seems that the alabaster jar and faint halo over her head are references to Mary Magdelene? If the 19th century repaint was to make it a pretty picture for sellability then I could see why they wouldn't want such a heavy subject matter.
Looks like they made her hand thinner, so maybe they found it more appealing to remove it altogether rather than try to make it work together?
Knowing the Victorian era they might have thought it was too phallic
These cunning visages, forged by artful glass, do plant in tender maids false dreams of beauty most unnatural!
It's nice to see the old varnish gone, too. But it is amazing to see the amount of overpaint people applied to pictures in the past. Modern conservation is covering only damaged parts, not repainting half the picture.
this post was submitted on 30 May 2025
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Historical Artifacts
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Just a community for everyone to share artifacts, reconstructions, or replicas for the historically-inclined to admire!
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