As part of our collections care programme, several paintings have been conserved to make sure they are in the best possible condition for when they go back on display in the refurbished museum.
Here are some highlights of the conservation work done on a painting by Steven Dews.
The removal of the canvas from frame required cutting through 18 steel pins that were inserted through the frame into the stretcher.
The painting was photographed using different angles of light sources and wavelengths. This helps to identify previous repairs, overpainting, etc. The stretcher and the canvas were carefully cleaned using dry brush and a vacuum cleaner with suction control.
Fragments of old brown tape were removed from the stretcher and the back of the painting was further cleaned with swabs of de-ionised water.
The front and reverse of the frame was dry cleaned using soft brushes and vacuum extraction. The front was further cleaned with distilled water.
Any broken elements of ornament were re-adhered and any cracks were consolidated. Losses and fills were retouched using acrylic paints.
