Behind the scenes in Conservation
Painting with wax? Restoring Joshua Reynolds’s portrait of the Earl and Countess of Ely
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About
Seventy miles north-west of the National Gallery lies the bucolic National Trust property, Upton House. The 1930s aristocratic country retreat is home to a fabulous art collection but one particular painting has made its way to the National Gallery Conservation Studio.
Joshua Reynolds's portrait of the Earl and Countess of Ely is a classic in the 18th-century idyllic marriage portrait genre. However, the painting's picturesque nature has been blurred as the varnish yellowed over time, so it's in need of cleaning. This is no straightforward task as Reynolds's paintings are notoriously difficult to conserve due to his wild experiments with paint.
We assembled Jon King, Hayley Tomlinson and Nelly Von Aderkas from the National Gallery, along with Upton House’s Curator Michelle Leake, to explain what's happening both on, and beneath, the surface. This painting's restoration is still ongoing.
Watch previous episodes in the series:
Behind the scenes in Conservation
A closer look at Pesellino
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Reuniting 400-year-old marriage portraits
Behind the scenes in Conservation
The gory story of 'The Judgement of Zaleucus'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Solving the mystery of a Frans Hals portrait
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning Paolo Uccello's 'The Battle of San Romano'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
The Ugly Duchess
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning Reynolds' 'Captain Robert Orme'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Displaying 'The Red Boy'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
A first look at 'The Red Boy'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Piero della Francesca's 'Nativity'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning 150-year-old varnish from a Frans Hals portrait
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning the 'lost altarpiece'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
The unfashionable artist who inspired Van Gogh
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring an 'undisplayable' painting: Part two
Restoring an 'undisplayable' painting: Part one
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring the Gallery's oldest painting
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part one
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part two
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part three
