Catherine Conserved

For those of us interested in the conservation of old paintings, the National Portrait Gallery has posted a webpage detailing its restoration of Catherine of Aragon, including an X-ray image (CLICK). This graphic shows four stages in the process: 1) first cleaning showing discoloured patches of early restoration, 2) second cleaning showing areas of paint loss down to the panel support, 3) final cleaning with fills in the areas of loss, 4) the finished face after restoration.