Ringling Museum of Art restores unique early 18th century painting

Historic painting restored at Sarasota museum

A years-long effort to restore an Italian oil painting from the 18th Century known as "Watermelon Regatta" is grabbing the attention of visitors at The Ringling Museum in Sarasota.

SARASOTA, Fla. - In gallery 12 at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, a piece called "Watermelon Regatta" catches the attention of museum visitors.

"What we’ve been able to do is take a painting that is in a very damaged state that we felt warranted a major conservation treatment," said Barbara Ramsay, the chief conservator of The Ringling Museum.

The playful piece, an Italian oil painting from the early 1700s, was donated by the museum’s first director, Chick Austin. But, due to the damage, it has sat in storage.

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"There was a brief conservation effort in the 1960s," said Ramsay. "They started to clean it and realized it was a huge project and stopped."

Around seven years ago, Ramsay decided to give it a second go.

Fellows, interns and other conservators worked for years to restore the painting, and in a way, "Watermelon Regatta" became a training tool.

"We were able to stabilize the painting, remove layers of dirt and grime and discolored varnish," said Ramsay. "Conservators make use of a lot of tools, we look at things carefully with our eyes under the microscope, different types of lighting UV, infrared, X-ray. We have various techniques to see the painting in different ways."

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As a team, they were able to bring life back to the "Watermelon Regatta."

"To witness the work and be part of those conservation from the beginning, as how we were going to be treating the work and bringing it back to life, it’s been incredibly satisfying," said Sarah Cartwright, the chief curator and Ulla R. Searing curator of collection.

It is now displayed for a short time, as it was meant to be.

"I think it looks even better than we thought it would, and I think it has generated a wonderful reaction from our public, and we are really excited about that," said Cartwright.

"Watermelon Regatta" will be on display until May 19 at The Ringling Museum. If you do come out and visit, you can also walk through the education building and walk past windows of the conservation lab and see the conservators at work.

For more information, visit www.ringling.org/event/watermelon-regatta.

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