For more on this panel, see Master of Monte Oliveto, The Crucifixion.
The panel, of a vertical wood grain, retains its original thickness of 1.4 centimeters, but six vertical channels have been routed into the reverse to relieve some of the pressure of a convex warp, and two dovetail battens have been cut into the back, cross-grain, to maintain the planarity of the support. Traces of an original gesso coating survive beneath a thick layer of wax impregnating the entire back, routed channels, and battens. The original engaged frame moldings have been cut away on all four sides, but a continuous barb along the painted and gilt border indicates that none of the image has been lost. Two partial splits rising from the bottom at 9.5 and 17 centimeters from the left edge and two descending from the top at 5 and 13 centimeters from the left edge have not resulted in any appreciable loss of paint or gilding, except that an old retouch fills a loss on the Virgin’s right shoulder at the end of one of the splits. The surface is covered with a thick, discolored varnish that was not removed, other than a small cleaning test in the lower-left corner, during the “restoration” of 1967 to which the companion Crucifixion was subjected.