Relining and Cleaning of this Badly Damaged Victorian Portrait - Part 2
Mar 6, 2026 BLOOMFIELD ART | FINE ART RESTORATION | FRAMING
This Victorian portrait, likely painted between 1845 and 1865 during the reign of Queen Victoria, arrived in the studio with extensive structural damage, multiple historic repairs, brittle canvas, and a large tear through the surface.
In the previous episode we examined the condition of the painting and removed decades of old patch repairs. In this second part of the restoration, the focus turns to structural stabilisation and the first stages of cleaning.
The painting is carefully relined onto a new support canvas to give it the stability it has been lacking for many years. After the relining process is complete, the painting is returned to its stretcher and the first cleaning tests begin.
Even in these early passes the results are striking, revealing the original colours and details that have been hidden beneath layers of aged varnish and surface grime.
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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.
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Bloomfield Art Restoration