Surface restoration
The result of the surface restoration. One can now finally see what has been hidden for centuries!
Goodbye Domitian…
and welcome the original Domitian!
The condition before the restoration
The painting was covered by a very thick darkened and oxidized dammar varnish which was partially blanched and obscured the overall look of the painting. It was partially overpainted and had many darkened and discolored retouches. The varnish and the retouches resulted in a difficulty to fully see the painting.
The surface restoration
Meeting with the paintings conservator
We have visited the paintings conservator to begin the journey of the surface restoration. To get an idea of the size and complexity of the project the conservator needed to test clean the surface on a few places. The result was exciting, for example, one can now see an original leaf in the laurel wreath and also individual strands of hair in the eyebrow, but the most important revelation was the artistic quality evident in Domitian’s face: the skin’s smooth transition from light to shadow.
The process
The process of the surface restoration
From the paintings conservator: First photos of the restoration work. Phase 1: Cleaning and removal of the overpaintings, which cover any underlying paint loss. The quality found on the original is much higher than what can be seen, as the image surface is covered with dirt, oxidized varnish and all overpainting. The work that remains is extensive but absolutely worthwhile and the painting will ”tell” much more to the viewer when the work is completed. The damage (light spots one can see in the picture corresponding to older puttying of paint loss) is many and after cleaning and varnishing I will retouch them. So far no surprises I hadn’t anticipated. What is perhaps surprising is that the original is much better than at first glance.
Work in progress
