Rastatt (dpa / lsw) - Visitors to the residential palace in Rastatt can look forward to restored portraits of "Turkish Louis" and Margravine Sibylla Augusta. The paintings will be hanging in their place in the Margrave's antechamber from Friday.
Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden-Baden, known as "Turkish Louis", and his wife Sibylla Augusta built and furnished the palace. The approximately 300-year-old works of art are historical testimonies, said Sandra Eberle from the Rastatt Residential Palace on Thursday at the presentation of the newly restored works. "They are part of every tour and are very present due to their size."
Work on the images was necessary to secure cracked layers of paint. In addition, badly retouched areas were improved and the works reframed. The painting restorers Juliane Lange and Heidi Kießlinger worked on the full-body portraits on site for two weeks, right in front of the visitors' eyes. "It's always an advantage for the pictures if they can remain in their usual climate," said Lange. For example, the experts used fish glue to glue the torn layers of paint and a hot spatula to press down the treated surfaces like a small iron. The restoration and the new frames cost around 12,000 euros in total.
