An eye surgeon may be required to remove tiny glass splinters from the Edvard Munch masterpieces The Scream and Madonna, the director of the Munch Museum in Oslo said Wednesday.

Museum director Lise Mjos described the damage to the paintings during proceedings at the Norwegian court of appeals.

Edvard Munch masterpieces Madonna, top, and The Scream are shown in September 2006, shortly after their recovery. The lower right part of Madonna is torn and The Scream suffered moisture damage.
(Richard Jeffries/Munch Museum)

Her testimony may determine whether the three men convicted in the theft of the paintings may be sentenced to pay repair costs.

The frames and glass covering the paintings were smashed and glass splinters have been embedded in them, especially in Madonna, which is painted on canvas, Mjos said. The Scream is painted on board.

"We will use an eye surgeon to remove the glass splinters from the two paintings. We want them removed to prevent them causing greater damage later," Mjos told the court.

Outside the court, Mjos told Associated Press hiring an eye surgeon is just one of several specialized treatments under consideration.

An eye surgeon has the skills and equipment for the removal of glass fragments without damaging the surrounding area, she said.

The museum is demanding 1.6 million krone ($300,000 Cdn) for conservation and repair expenses and 1.3 million krone ($250,000 Cdn) in lost ticket sales through the court.

The paintings were recovered by police on Aug. 31, about two years after they were stolen by masked gunmen in a brazen daylight heist at the Munch Museum.

Both paintings were damaged because of the heavy-handed theft and two years of improper storage, Mjos said.

They suffered scrapes, holes, loose paint and moisture damage, as well as damage from glass fragments.

Museum staff are still assessing the damage and have not yet made a decision when to start the restoration work or how long it will take to complete, Mjos said.

There are four versions of The Scream, Norwegian painter Munch's best-known work, depicting a waif-like figure with its mouth open in a scream.

The Scream and Madonna were part of Munch's "Frieze of Life" series, in which sickness, death, anxiety and love are central themes.

with files from Associated Press