Art Institute of Chicago's Lawrence Mid-Clean
February 23 2022
Picture: Instagram via. @emersonbowyer
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Emerson Bowyer, Senior curator of European Painting & Sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago, has shared these rather pleasing mid-clean pictures of Thomas Lawrence's Anna Maria Dashwood, later Marchioness of Ely. As you can see, Lawrence's vibrant colours really do shine when those layers of murky varnish are removed.
Here is what the picture looked like before conservation:
We'll await the finished results with great anticipation (!)
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As an aside, what I would give to see the Wallace Collection's early Lawrence in the Front State Room cleaned. The transformation would surely be most impressive.
