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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