Stabilization
The paint and ground layers were poorly attached to the wood panel, and many areas were actively buckling, blistering, cleaving and flaking away due to expansion and contraction of the wood from temperature and humidity variations. Click here and here for photos. Treatment of the paint surface included infusion of a warm animal glue (purified gelatin) into every crack, blister, tented cleavage, and other area of loss and damage. The warm moist glue softened the fragile, brittle paint layers enough to permit manipulating them back into place. A Japanese tissue was applied to the surface to soak up any excess glue and hold the paint securely. Click here, here and here to view the application. The adhesive was then activated with heat and mild pressure from a miniature tacking iron to reattach and stabilize the loose paint layers. This process was repeated as needed over the entire surface of the painting until all of the paint was stabilized and reattached to the panel. Click here to see a video clip of this process.
Cleaning
A well-intentioned, but badly executed restoration attempt in 1969 was abandoned mid-stream, leaving the painting too fragile to be exhibited. Thick oil repainting done in earlier restorations to cover up the true condition of the picture was unevenly removed using harsh methods that most likely further damaged the delicate original paint. This left the painting partially and poorly cleaned, with extensive remains of old repainting, residues of dirt and discolored old varnishes, and damage to the original paint from the chemicals used in cleaning.
After careful and extensive testing, the conservators developed a cleaning system using a variety of pH-controlled aqueous solutions, solvents, solvent mixtures and solvent gels that permitted removal of the disfiguring dirt, varnish, and repainting where it was safe to do so. Click here and here to view photos of the paint cleaning. The cleaning revealed the beauty of the surviving original paint. Click here, here, here, here, and here for the cleaning results photos. Click here to see a video clip of Removing the Varnish, and here to view a video clip of Removing Old Restorations.
