A Closer Look: Conservation of Paintings
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Behind the scenes in Conservation
The gory story of 'The Judgement of Zaleucus'
Britta New discusses the conservation of a 16th-century panel from the William Morris Gallery which depicts a gruesome tale
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About the National Conservation Programme
Our National Conservation Programme, which is generously supported by the Aldama Foundation, enables us to research, preserve and enhance important paintings in publicly accessible collections across the country.
The programme helps to ensure that such collections without the resources to undertake conservation treatments can reach out to have their works considered for conservation by our team.
In this episode, Conservator Britta New, discusses one such project: the conservation of a 16th-century panel depicting the gory tale of 'The Judgement of Zaleucus', from the William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow.
Watch previous episodes in the series:
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Solving the mystery of a Frans Hals portrait
How did the discovery of a monster and skull hidden beneath this painting reveal the identity of the sitter?
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning Paolo Uccello's 'The Battle of San Romano'
Restorer Paul Ackroyd talks us through some of the challenges he's encountered while working with Uccello's 15th-century battlefield scene
Behind the scenes in Conservation
The Ugly Duchess
Britta New reveals surprising discoveries about 'The Ugly Duchess' and how the painting links Leonardo da Vinci to 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning Reynolds' 'Captain Robert Orme'
Hayley Tomlinson reveals why paintings by Reynolds are notoriously difficult to clean
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Displaying 'The Red Boy'
Follow the newly-cleaned 'Red Boy's' journey from the Conservation Studio to the Gallery walls
Behind the scenes in Conservation
A first look at 'The Red Boy'
Paul Ackroyd introduces Lawrence's 'Red Boy' – a work so popular it was the first-ever painting to feature on a British postage stamp
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Piero della Francesca's 'Nativity'
Caroline Campbell and Jill Dunkerton discuss the conservation of Piero della Francesca's miraculous Christmas scene
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning 150-year-old varnish from a Frans Hals portrait
Paul Ackroyd cleans a portrait that has not been restored since 1876
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Cleaning the 'lost altarpiece'
Britta New and Nelly von Aderkas discuss the cleaning of a Renaissance altarpiece that was hidden in an Italian wood store for many years
Behind the scenes in Conservation
The unfashionable artist who inspired Van Gogh
Kristina Mandy discusses Adolphe Monticelli, an artist admired in his lifetime, who inspired Van Gogh's famous 'Sunflowers', but who later fell out of fashion
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring an 'undisplayable' painting: Part two
Kendall Francis and Larry Keith discuss the restoration of a work with a 'snowstorm' of painting loss
Restoring an 'undisplayable' painting: Part one
Larry Keith reveals an exciting discovery about Piazzetta's unfinished work, 'The Sacrifice of Isaac', and explains the plan for the painting's restoration
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring the Gallery's oldest painting
Kristina Mandy shows the steps involved in restoring a painting that is over 750-years-old
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part one
Jill Dunkerton and Britta New find out what was hiding beneath a frame for nearly two centuries
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part two
Watch Jill Dunkerton as she retouches a Renaissance masterpiece
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part three
Jill Dunkerton and Marta Melchiorre ask, how can we identify Botticelli's hand from that of his assistant, Filippino Lippi's?