PORTFOLIO
Below are some examples of recent conservation work carried out by Cornwell Conservation. For enquiries about your own painting, please get in touch with Annie at cornwellconservation@gmail.com, or feel free to give her a call on 07938863781.
Historical tears and dents to the canvas had caused large areas of paint loss on this 18th century portrait. To remedy these the missing areas were filled with a chalk-based material which was manipulated to ensure the surface texture exactly mimicked the original canvas and paint.
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The filled losses were then retouched using powdered pigments ground into a synthetic medium (retouching is always completed with materials that are chemically different to the original paint and thus are fully removable).
As varnishes age they become yellowed and degraded, often obscuring the details and colours of the paint beneath. A key part of conservation treatments is often to carefully remove these varnish layers. After detailed and thorough testing, chemicals are selected that dissolve the varnish without affecting the paint beneath. This 19th century animal-portrait by George Stubbs is an example of such treatment. Once the yellow varnish was removed the vibrancy and brightness of the paint could be seen again.
This large painting of The Murder of the Princes in the Tower was off display due to its multiple laters of discoloured varnish and structural disturbance caused by a loss of tension in the canvas. Varnish removal revealed not only some beautiful details of a wall tapestry above the princes’ bed but also a previously invisible figure on the spiral stairs to the right side of the painting.
This dramatic scene of a horse and lion, also by British artist George Stubbs, was obscured under and thick and crinkled layer of yellowed varnish. After removal the amazing details of the paintwork and composition could be seen much more clearly, as well as an original signature that had been fully obscured by the varnish layer.
This equestrian portrait by British artist David Morier of the Marquess of Granby in battle benefitted from removal of both surface dirt and degraded yellow varnish. The blue sky and details of the battle and Granby’s uniform were hidden below these thick dirt and varnish layers.
