Restoring a Severely Distorted 18th Century Painting - Part 3 - Dirt, Smoke & Aged Varnish
Jan 23, 2026 BLOOMFIELD ART | FINE ART RESTORATION | FRAMING
This video continues the restoration of a severely distorted 18th-century portrait, focusing on the first full stage of surface cleaning and varnish removal.
In this episode, I begin removing centuries of accumulated surface dirt, smoke residue, nicotine staining, and discoloured varnish. This is one of the most revealing and risky stages of any restoration. As layers are carefully reduced, the original paint surface begins to emerge, often in unexpected ways.
Not everything improves, and not every area can be taken as far as we might like. Part of responsible conservation is knowing when to stop.
This is not a dramatic transformation it’s a measured, real-time deep dive into how paintings actually respond to cleaning, and how conservators make decisions as they go.
This is Part 3 of a multi-part conservation series documenting the real, careful process of restoring a fragile historic portrait.
If you would like to see more exclusive content, behind the scenes footage and live Q&As then please visit my Patreon page and consider supporting the channel: / bloomfieldartrestoration
Would you like to advertise with us, direct business inquiries to: [email protected]
ABOUT Bloomfield Art Restoration is an unlimited series exploring the art restoration of oil paintings, period history, and artists lives.
ABOUT Bloomfield Art & James Bloomfield Bloomfield Art specialise in all aspects of art restoration, oil easel painting restoration and fine art conservation. We offer fine art restoration and picture cleaning services across the North West of England, We also offer a National Painting Restoration service. Bloomfield Art is an associate member of the British Association of Paintings Conservators - Restorer's (BAPCR) . We have a selection of quality antique oils for sale please vivit our website to see our current stock, we offer free international shipping:
https://www.bloomfieldart.co.uk/categ...
We have completed art restoration work on behalf of Christies London, National Gallery Ireland, the NHS, local authorities, schools, churches and historic houses. We have also worked on paintings by Sir Terry Frost, Ambrose McAvoy, Mary Fedden, Kyffin Williams, Robert Lenkowiez, Helen Bradley, L.S Lowry, R.R. Reinagle, J.Hopner, W.Sant and many more. James Bloomfield is an accredited Art Restorer and Artist and has worked on 1000's of oil paintings. He was selected for the prestigious John Moores painting prize in 2012 and has his artworks in museum collections in the UK. He lives and works in Manchester England.
Bloomfield Art Restoration carefully removes dirt and smoke damage from a 300-year-old painting. The restorer uses various cleaning solutions and techniques, including UV light, to reveal the artwork's layers. Careful swabbing and testing uncover centuries of grime, revealing subtle brushstrokes and hidden details.
Summary
How this was made
Auto-dubbed
Audio tracks for some languages were automatically generated. Learn more