In this episode, Restorer Paul Ackroyd shows the process of removing the aged, discoloured varnish from 'Portrait of a Middle-Aged Woman with Hands Folded' by Frans Hals:
This is a YouTube video player. Below the video are the title, view time and description. Below that is a carousel of video thumbnails. Clicking a thumbnail will load and play that video.
'Portrait of a Middle-Aged Woman with Hands Folded' was acquired by the Gallery in 1876. The painting has not been cleaned or restored since entering the collection, and the varnish has discoloured with age, causing a 'foggy' effect across the painting.
Although we don't know the identity of the woman in the portrait, it is likely that she was a citizen of Haarlem in the Netherlands, where Hals lived and worked, and that the portrait may have been one half of a pair of pendants, the other likely depicting her husband.
This video content is sponsored by Nikon, Digital Content Partner
