Getty, Czechs Plan to Restore ‘Last Judgment’

The “Last Judgment” mosaic on the facade of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague is the latest project of the Getty Conservation Institute. The announcement to restore the rare artwork, in collaboration with the Office of the President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, was made at a Monday press conference in Prague.

“The struggle to preserve this irreplaceable symbol of our heritage has a history nearly as old as the mosaic itself,” Czech Chancellor Lubos Dobrovsky said in a statement released by the J. Paul Getty Trust in Santa Monica. “We are delighted to have the Getty Conservation Institute as a partner in this new campaign to restore ‘The Last Judgment’ to its former splendor.”

The challenge is to find permanent protection from corrosive elements that have rendered the historic treasure almost invisible, despite repeated attempts to preserve it. The mosaic--composed of glass and stone tesserae and gold leaf--is in fairly good condition, according to a recent technical report, but its religious imagery has been obscured by chalky, gray-white deposits.

The first effort to conserve “Last Judgment” took place in 1470. Subsequent restorations were launched in 1619, 1889, 1956 and every few years thereafter until 1980, but success has been short-lived. Protective coatings applied to the surface have worn off after a few years, exposing the mosaic to pollution and the elements.

The joint conservation project is expected to last about four years, according to GCI Director Miguel Angel Corzo. After a period of evaluation and study, an international team of experts will recommend a plan of treatment and maintenance. Czech conservators will receive on-site training and carry out the treatment, Corzo said.

The 904-square-foot mosaic, located above the main entrance of the cathedral at Prague Castle, is divided into three parts. The central panel portrays Christ in an almond-shaped aura of divinity, surrounded by angels and saints. These figures appear above likenesses of Emperor Charles IV and his fourth wife, Elizabeth of Pomerania. The panel on the left represents heaven, while the section on the right depicts hell.

St. Vitus Cathedral was commissioned in 1344 by Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor who lived in Prague from 1346 to 1378, but the elaborate Gothic structure was not completed until 1929. The 14th-Century mosaic is thought to be the work of Italian craftsmen brought to Prague from Umbria. The castle and its cathedral are a major tourist attraction in Prague, which has become a popular destination for travelers since the Velvet Revolution in 1989.