Obraz ,,Alegoria życia” z kolekcji prof. Wiesława Litewskiego, Muzeum Uniwersyteckie w Toruniu. Historia, technologia i technika

The University Museum in Torun holds the 18th century painting depicting the allegory of life, attributed to the German artist Christian Wilhelm Ernest Dietrich (1712-1774). The work forms part of Professor Wieslaw Litewski's collection of pre-modern art, bequeathed to the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun in 2000. This paper discusses the identification of technology and painting technique of the work, based on a complex technological and restoration examination. The materials used in the painting process and the moulding technique have been identified and described, along with presenting the historical information and description of the iconography of the motif of life's evanescence. The paint technique has been shown in the context of the rules of Dutch painting, discussed by Teodor Turquet de Mayerne in the manuscript Pictoria Sculptoria et qua subalternarum atrium spectantia, 1620-1649, and the Gerard de Lairesse's treatise Het groot schilderboeck published in 1707. The examination results serve as a source material complementing the knowledge on the 18th century painting techniques.