Each week in its weekend edition, The Wall Street Journal features a work of art in a column titled Masterpiece. The January 24-25, 2026 column features Giovanni Bellini’s “Pieta” (1470) currently on view at the Morgan Library & Museum in “A Radiant Work Reborn”. an article by Karen Wilkin. Along with a lyrical description of the work, Wilkin recounts its history of being moved from place to place, the toll that those moves took upon the work, and its restoration history. Of the painting's most recent treeatment she writes, “…discolored varnish was removed, holes and cracks were repaired, and, as is modern practice, restored areas were made congruent with the rest by delicate watercolor cross-hatching.” Cross-hatching has been used since the 1950s by U.S. paintings conservators who currently use a variety of techniques. It is interesting to hear that it is still THE “modern practice” in Italy where the conservation work was carried out.
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