Paintings
George Harvey: Portrait of Robert MacFie of Langhouse, 1827
A portrait with a strong discolored varnish, significant cracks and tears is cleaned, repaired and restored to preserve a family's legacy.
Read moreBefore treatment, the portrait has dirt and a thick discolored varnish, a network of raised cracks, a large canvas tear and a weak canvas. The frame was dirty with a corner loss.
After treatment, the painting is cleaned, cracks are lowered and the canvas is repaired and strong. The frame was cleaned and the chip restored.
Cyrus Cuneo: Sir John Simpson on his tour of Inspection from the Hudson’s Bay to the Pacific Coast, ca 1910
A large historic painting with deterioration and damage from years of public display is conserved to restore original appearance and strength, ensuring display and preservation in a City Hall for future generations.
Read moreBefore, the painting was in very poor condition. It had been rolled and crushed in the past with significant deformations, cracks andpaint losses. It had unmatching retouchings, was dark and dirty with layers of discolored varnish, a weak stretcher and slack canvas.
After treatment, the painting has been conserved with a much improved appearance, stability and durability on public display for better preservation into the future.
R. Gissing: The Oil Rig, 1951
A painting immersed in flood waters was control dried, consolidated, cleaned and blanched paint was reconstituted to restore original saturation, with losses inpainted, all to produce a remarkable recovery.
Read moreBefore treatment, the painting was damp with heavy accretions of mud. The paint was blanched/whitened due to absorption of water and is actively flaking with many small losses of paint due to solubilization of the ground layer.
After treatment, the painting is clean, the canvas is in-plane and the paint is secure. The paint saturation is restored so that the original artist image can be seen.
J.v.E.H.: untitled Dutch landscape, 1857
The 19th C Dutch landscape on wood panel was cleaned of dirt, cleared of discolored varnish and revarnished with a conservation formula. The frame was restored and re-gilded.
Read moreBefore treatment, the painting is covered with dirt, grime, accretions and a very discolored varnish layer. The frame has thinned gilding and losses of relief.
After treatment, the painting is cleaned and revarnished. The frame is restored and re-gilded.
Alex Janvier: Woodland Voice, ca 1988
Tears on a painting on raw canvas are repaired with detailed alignment, canvas re-weaving, and minimal inpainting.
Read moreBefore, the large tear is very unstable and visible.
After, the repair is inpainted discretely for an original and clean appearance.
Thomas Cole: Portrait of Thomas Stevenson Cole, 1890
A lovely painting of a young boy is revealed below a restorer's overpaint that covered the entire painting.
Read moreBefore treatment, the painting was dirty and heavily overpainted with a matte paint devoid of artistic modelling. There were lifting repairs with tears in the boys face and on the left side of the portrait.

After treatment, the painting is cleaned and restorer overpaint removed to reveal the original artist’s image. Old repairs were removed, damages repaired, and paint losses retouched.
Unknown artist: Three Sisters
A painting damaged by a very large tear is repaired and restored imperceptibly.
Read more
Before treatment, the painting was brought into the lab with a very large curved tear.

After treatment, the painting is cleaned, repaired and restored to its original appearance.
Takao Tanabe: Reflections at Dawn, 1958
This modern abstract painting had very raised and distracting cracks which were brought into plane through vapour treatment on a Dutch stretcher and lining.
Read more
Before, under raking light the visually distracting lifted cracks are revealed.

After, under raking light, the stress cracks have been brought down and the canvas is in plane.
Portrait of Elizabeth
A family portrait conserved to reveal the artist’s original painting
Read moreBefore treatment, the painting is unstable with a dingy and dark appearance, raised cracks, and an overpainted bonnet.
After treatment, the painting is cleaned, stabilized and restored to reflect the artist’s original intent.
PaintingArchive
Check out even more of our past work in paintings conservation from our blog posts “paintings” archive.