Retouching is carried out to the highest standards with work confined to the area of damage only. All work is easily reversable and stable time tested pigments and medium used.
This double portrait had damages consistant with the perished state of the canvas support. Lining strenghtened the canvas allowing for the removal of dirt and varnish to proceed without the risk of further paint losses. The damages were filled and toned and then retouched and the painting finally varnished.
In many paintings, restoration is over applied spreading well over the damaged area. The principle of retouching is to apply paint accurately to the damage and to make ant paint easily dissolvable in the future. Paintings with extensive cracking like this can often have the coat completely overpainted by a 'restorer' getting carried away with painting or cutting corners to save time. Here each crack has been painstakingly retouched to take the eye away from the damage without unnecessary overpainting.
