Portrait of Empress Catherine the Great by Unknown Artist (19th century)
Oil on canvas, Military-Historical Museum (Saint Petersburg)
Before and after restoration:
Initial state:
The original stretcher frame was lost. The canvas had strong alterations and paint surface had various relief craquelure. Dirt, grime and darkened varnish on the surface faded the colours and obscured details. In addition to the heavy deposits of dirt, the canvas had a tears and numerous losses of the colour layer and ground.
Done:
The back side of original was cleaned of dirt, alteration and tears were fixed. Edges of the canvas were cleaned and lined. The canvas was mounted on the new stretcher frame. varnish removal treatment performed in order to recover the original look. The painting surface was varnished and retouched.
Work in progress:
