The Search for the Portrait that Belonged to Kittel Pages at The Face Of Bach
The Queens College Lecture of March 21, 2001 - Epilogue
The Face Of Bach
This remarkable photograph is not a computer generated composite; the original of the Weydenhammer Portrait Fragment, all that
remains of the portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach that belonged to his pupil Johann Christian Kittel, is resting gently on the surface
of the original of the 1748 Elias Gottlob Haussmann Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach.
1748 Elias Gottlob Haussmann Portrait, Courtesy of William H. Scheide, Princeton, New Jersey
Weydenhammer Portrait Fragment, ca. 1733, Artist Unknown, Courtesy of the Weydenhammer Descendants
Photograph by Teri Noel Towe
©Teri Noel Towe, 2001, All Rights Reserved
The Search for the Portrait that Belonged to Kittel
The Queens College Lecture of March 21, 2001
Epilogue
On April 4, 2001, I took the Weydenhammer Portrait Fragment back to Alain Goldrach's studio on East 84th Street and left it in his
capable hands. During the ensuing two weeks, he carefully cleaned off the layer of uneven, dirty varnish that had sullied the
painting's surface and, with the greatest care and caution, removed the occasional bits of overpaint and dirt. As Alain explained to
me, he did not want to risk "overcleaning" this precious historical document. Finally, he applied a layer of the appropriate clear
varnish to protect the surface of the freshly cleaned canvass. This morning, I returned to Alain's studio, picked up the
Weydenhammer Portrait Fragment, and took it down to New York Film Works. The unsurpassable Michael V. Cohen then made a
high resolution, digital scan of the freshly cleaned painting. Here is a JPEG image derived from that scan.
Direct Digital Scan by Michael V. Cohen for New York Film Works
©Teri Noel Towe, 2001
And here is a direct "before and after" comparison.
Direct Digital Scans by Michael V. Cohen for New York Film Works
©Teri Noel Towe, 2001
I am sure that you will agree that a powerful image has become yet more powerful.
Teri Noel Towe
April 18, 2001
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Copyright, Teri Noel Towe, 2000 , 2002
Unless otherwise credited, all images of the Weydenhammer Portrait: Copyright, The Weydenhammer Descendants, 2000
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