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Restoring a Masterwork II: Guercino's Erminia and the Shepherds
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August 19, 2004

Grazing Sheep


In this detail, located above the grazing sheep at the lower right corner of the painting, the dark passages represent thick, discolored overpaint. The medium brown paint is a water soluble medium, also added during an earlier restoration effort.


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August 19, 2004


David discusses the damage at the lower right corner of the painting with visitors to the exhibition.

Docents are also available to answer questions and help interpret the restoration process:

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Thursdays, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
and Sundays, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.


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August 20, 2004

The photo on the left illustrates the stage of cleaning before all varnish, overpaint, and fill material have been removed. The large white area is the most recent fill applied to the painting, probably during an early 1960s restoration.

On the right, after a week of cleaning, the many layers of fill, overpaint, and remnants of varnish have been removed.

 

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August 21, 2004


On Saturday, a final, selective cleaning was completed. Areas of heavy overpaint were thinned; deeply embedded dirt and grime were reduced; and areas of blanched residual drying oil, probably added during previous restorations, were diminished.


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August 21, 2004

These details of the sheep at the lower right of the composition illustrate the stages of cleaning. In the photograph on the left, the dark areas represent broadly applied overpaint from earlier restorations; the brown paint is an aqueous watercolor medium used to tone the fills before the upper restoration was applied.

The photo on the right shows the section of the painting with all varnish, fills, and overpaint removed.

 

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