Portrait of a Girl

Artist: Unknown
Media: Oil on Canvas
Date: Mid 20th Century

Condition.

The Portrait of a Girl had been damaged in a flood. The white appearance of the surface is known as ‘blanching’. There are several causes of blanching but in this case it was due to moisture becoming trapped in the varnish layer.

Treatment.

Blanching can sometimes be difficult to treat. Luckily, for this artwork it was confined to the varnish layer and after dissolving the surface coating, the paint layer was revealed fully intact.

Courtesy of Plowden & Smith