A Trio of Paintings

Not every canvas or frame is a good candidate for conservation, but it’s always exciting when a piece comes in that needs work on both!

All three of these paintings required deep cleaning to remove yellowed varnish, and their frames were missing ornamentation and had dull, worn gilding that had seen better days. We picked up the artworks from a client’s home in November 2024 and delivered them back, fully restored, in June 2025.

The first painting (shown below featuring a white house) had noticeable pooling of yellowed varnish in the top corners. Its frame was missing some carved ornamentation, especially in the top right. We created moulds from the intact corners to recast the missing details in plaster.

The second painting (featuring a boat) had the most damaged frame, with cracks exposing the white plaster underneath. As with the first, we made moulds of the original carvings to replicate the missing pieces. Once the details were restored, the gilding was carefully toned to enhance the richness of the yellow gold. Cleaning the painting also made a dramatic difference. When the trees brightened significantly, they revealed a wealth of previously hidden detail.

The final painting had some of its finer details obscured under the old varnish. After cleaning, both the house and sky appeared much brighter and more vibrant. Fortunately, this frame was in the best condition of the three and only needed minor toning to unify its appearance.

We’re absolutely thrilled with how all three of these pieces turned out!

Have a dirty or damaged painting at home? Book an appointment with us for a conservation evaluation, we’d love to help bring your artwork back to life.