Summary of treatment
Portrait of a Naval Officer
English School 19th Century. Oil on canvas
Before treatment
The painting had suffered from a blow to the front of the canvas causing an extensive and irregular shaped tear.
Before treatment
The painting had suffered from a blow to the front of the canvas causing an extensive and irregular shaped tear.
After structural repair of the canvas
Removal of the painting from the frame allowed for a more thorough examination.
Once the edges of the canvas had been relaxed, the torn edges were joined using an adhesive, with gaps in the canvas being inset with threads taken from the returning edge of the commercially primed canvas. The painting was then lined, the backing canvas providing additional support to the repaired edges of the canvas.
Once lined and replaced onto its stretcher, the layers of surface dirt and varnish were removed, revealing the original paint work.
Detail – during treatment
After filling and before retouching
After treatment
The losses of paint were filled and textured to imitate the surrounding original paint.
After application of a thin barrier layer of varnish the retouching were applied. The final applications of varnish were applied to provide a sympathetic, semi matt appearance.
After treatment
Missing mouldings from the frame were re-cast. Loose mouldings were secured using a reversible adhesive. The damaged areas were coloured to match the original. The painting was then replaced in its frame