"This web site focuses on the history, interpretation, and restoration of John Singer Sargent’s monumental mural cycle, Triumph of Religion, in the McKim building of the Boston Public Library. The murals, which Sargent executed over the course of nearly thirty years (1890-1919), have deteriorated considerably, and their restoration is part of a larger renovation of the McKim building. Partially funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the restoration is being carried out by conservators from the Straus Center for Conservation, Harvard University Art Museums."

So reads the introduction to this website from the Trustees of the Public Library and Harvard College Fellows. And the view of the Sargent Hall should not be missed on the site.

Restoration challenges

Sargent combined traditional and new materials and techniques in creating his Triumph of Religion murals. He attached elaborate relief elements to painted canvas, a highly innovative process at the time. The materials he used have since deteriorated and now require different types of conservation and restoration treatment. Conservators face considerable challenges when dealing with the composite nature of his work. The unfortunate effects of previous restorations and years of neglect further complicate conservation efforts.

To view the murals, click on the mural titles at the left of the screen.

The Boston Globe published a 2006 article headlined: Borrowed Images: John Singer Sargent's murals for the Boston Public Library were to be his 'American Sistine Chapel.' Instead the paintings touched off a nationwide controversy over their depiction of religious figures.

"The painting that sparked the outrage was Sargent's 1919 work 'Synagogue,' in which the subject is depicted as a blindfolded old woman fallen to the floor, her crown toppled, the structure around her in ruins."

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