A 16th century South German carved wood sculpture, a fragment from an altar, showing the Lamentation. The Virgin, St. Anne and other figures are grouped around the dead Christ in mourning. Approximate height: 18 inches.
	Top photo shows the object before treatment. The piece is carved from wood, then covered with gesso and decorated with paint and gold leaf. The object had been restored several times, and recently suffered from water damage. Close examination revealed the existence of original decoration under the many layers of later paint. We removed the later paint to expose the original color and gold leaf. Bottom photo shows the object after treatment. No additional pigment was added. Missing areas were left as is, and the surface was consolidated with a reversible varnish. The only cosmetic addition was the replacement of the one missing drop finial (on the right of the arch). We decided to fabricate this replacement because the visual balance of the composition was disturbed without it.