Dresden (dpa/sn) - A masterpiece by the Italian Renaissance painter Antonio Allegri (1489-1534) in the Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden is being publicly restored. The "Madonna of St. Sebastian", created around 1524 for the Brotherhood of St. Sebastian in Modena, is too sensitive to be transported to the workshops outside the museum, as the State Art Collections announced on Wednesday. For this reason, the investigations into the painting technique and causes of the damage to the picture as well as their repair were carried out in the course of a research project funded by foundations until 2024 in a glass show studio.

The paint layer, which is threatened by loss, should be secured and stabilized in the long term, and the richness of detail and richness of color in Allegri's painting should be made visible again. The public restoration should also focus on the painter who, alongside Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, was one of the best-known artists of the Renaissance until the 19th century and whose name is less common today than that of his famous contemporaries, it was said .

With four works of this type, the Dresden gallery has the world's largest inventory of altarpieces by Antonio Allegri - also known as Antonio da Correggio. His "Madonna of St. Francis", "Holy Night" and "Madonna of St. George" are also owned by the house.