A Regency Portrait and Frame: Conserving Lawrence’s Countess of Blessington

Interesting display at the Wallace Collection looking at their recent project to conserve and reframe this portrait by Thomas Lawrence.

The Countess of Blessington also the Irish novelist Mary Power and the picture had been bought by the Marquis of Hertford for the collection as he had met her at the saloons she held at Gore House.

The section on the picture restoration but more fascinating was the section on the frame. When the collection opened it was decided to glaze all the picture and in doing so many of the inner frames had be removed. With air conditioning the glass can now be removed but this picture therefore needed a new inner frame. This was based on the frame on Lawrence’s picture of George Vi in the National Portrait Gallery made by the same maker. A company in Tunbridge Wells hold a collection of historic compo (linseed oil, rosin, hide glue and chalk) moulds and one of these was used. They showed sections of the frame at different stages.

Closed on 3 April 2016

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