The Salvator Mundi Through the Lens of Science: Dianne Modestini and Juan Manuel García-Ruiz at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

Zientzia astea

Participant

Dianne Modestini, Juan Manuel García-Ruiz, Oskar González Mendia

When

2026/11/06
12:00

Place

Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

Organizers

Zientzia Astea EHU

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The Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) is taking part in the University of the Basque Country (EHU)'s Zientzia Astea (Science Week) with The Salvor Mundi Through the Lens of Science, a meeting in Bilbao bringing together renowned New York art restorer Dianne Modestini and Ikerbasque Professor and crystallographer Juan Manuel García-Ruiz from DIPC. They will share their perspectives on the restoration of this celebrated painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and on their joint research into the crystal orb depicted in the work.

Modestini was responsible for restoring the Salvator Mundi between 2005 and 2011. She will explain the process of recovering and studying a painting that was in a severely damaged state when it came into her hands. Drawing on her experience, she will discuss the observations and decisions that shaped her work, as well as the evidence that led her to support the attribution of the painting to Leonardo da Vinci.

Juan Manuel García-Ruiz will present the findings of their joint research, published in npj Heritage Science under the title A crystallographic approach to the orb of the New York Salvator Mundi. The study focuses on the transparent sphere held in Christ's left hand and proposes that the tiny specks visible within it can be interpreted as fluid inclusions characteristic of rock crystal.

This interpretation raises new questions about the artist's knowledge of materials and the decision to depict their distinctive features in an object symbolising perfection and divine order. The research adds new elements to the debate over Leonardo's possible involvement in the painting and demonstrates how crystallography can contribute to the study of artworks alongside art history, restoration and conservation.

The session will be moderated by Oskar González Mendía, PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of the Basque Country (EHU) and professor at its Faculty of Fine Arts. He will guide the conversation between Modestini and García-Ruiz. The meeting will conclude with a Q&A session, giving the audience an opportunity to learn first-hand how the research came about and which questions remain unanswered.