What Was Hidden Beneath the Yellowed Varnish? What Did I Find Under the Layer of Soot?

I received a new interesting painting for restoration. I'd like to show it to you now. This is the frame and here's the painting itself. The painting itself is from the second half of the 10th century and it was nailed with nails like these. The painting is called A Glass of Wine. The artist or H. Dante. It's an Italian master from 1884. I'm showing you this now. This is quite rare for a work because for my works, as a rule, the work of an unknown artist, an unknown artist, and unknown depicted figures begins for me for restoration. There's also a patch on the back that's molded. The subframe was repaired with nails. You can see that the nails are hammered in. The bar is also extended. Perhaps this was done by the artist because it's most likely the artist's subframe. I'll also be making the same frame restoring not only the painting but also the frame. You can see the losses and traces of bronze here. Here I could clearly see the losses. General surface dirt, cracks, dents, and peeling that I'll need to address during the restoration process. The first step is to remove the painting from the stretcher frame and remove all those numerous nails. You can see in the video that the nails are both small and large. They may have been the artist's. Perhaps the tightening was done later. So those with larger heads are older and those with smaller ones are also more recent. It's also clear that the artist used factory-made canvas because the edges are primed but that's normal for the second half of the 10th century. So it's consistent in time. A large number of nibs were used during the stretching process and now I'm removing them gradually, one by one. The painting is removed from the stretcher frame. The stretcher frame is beveled but in this condition it can't be repaired. You can see that the upper part is in very poor condition. The frame is beyond repair. You can see, as I'm showing, that the frame is not being stretched. All the tenons are broken and loose so I'll have to order a new stretcher bar that's the right size for the painting. Also, there were some, um, I don't know, plants, dried flowers, field dirt, and cobwebs under the bar. Well, it's normal for a painting to accumulate all sorts of debris, dust, and dirt under the bars. Unless this painting is any exception. It's also clear that the back was coated with something. Most likely it was some kind of coating. Closer up, I'll show the frame's condition. The gilding is in excellent condition with some minor abrasions down to the red pullment. And now I'm showing the removal of surface dirt from the gilding on the frame. Tests were taken and a suitable solvent was selected to remove the dirt. The frame was reinforced. I'm not showing this in the video but it was done. There were some minor gaps in peeling of the varnish so we could begin. Removing dirt without worrying about the paint not being real or the gilding falling off. The problem was removing dirt because the painting isn't flat but textured and all the dirt and dust had accumulated in the recesses. That's why I use not only a swab but also a bristle brush. A bristle brush helps me remove the reinforcement texture from the texture. You can see what kind of swab it becomes during the process. How much dust and dirt has accumulated over all this time. I think the frame is original most likely because it fits so well or maybe not because oh it was loose. I had to glue on an additional strip to lift the painting so it would fit more tightly. So of course questions arise here about whether the frame is original meaning it could have been ordered much later. This is the condition. Here's a cleaned piece. Good you can see it but good it's noticeably dirty but here it is dirty. Here the bronze paint was chipped off in this part then someone painted it over it was chipped off then someone painted it over. After the painting was pressed and placed under a weight I repair the tears and make up for the lost base that is the canvas. The holes are sealed. If they are large they are glued on with small inserts of new canvas like these. They further show the removal of the old patch. We see there was a tear in the painting and they patched it up as best they could from the back. Usually they use some old canvas but here they used what looks like gas. I know that fabric restorers use this material in their restoration work that is they duplicate things on this thin fabric. They also use some kind of synthetic glue here because it is insoluble in water. If I had to use a solvent I mechanically remove the old glue deposits from the back surface. There was of course a lot of glue on the surface of the patch where it used to be. I also remove solvents and any remaining old glue and here's a small breakthrough. It was also sealed and pressed. After that I want to show the next stage of the restoration. This is the process of cleaning away the old yellowed varnish and dirt. Before starting work I took microscopic samples on non-critical areas of the painting and selected a solvent specifically for this particular painting. I repeat myself so that people understand that the solvent is always selected individually for each painting. Varnishes vary including those made with soft and hard resins so this has an impact. Another factor is the time of creation, that is the aging time of the varnish. This means that it becomes harder and denser over time. It's also important to consider whether there are any superficial scratches or suppression marks. All of this influences the selection of the right solvent for this particular work. Here you can see the detail emerging from under the old yellowed varnish. I'd also like to say here that I did a little research and found that Hanti or Hanti was an Italian artist. He lived in the second half of the 19th century beginning in 1800. He was born in 181 and died in 1899. That is he lived only a little over 48 years. This work was painted at the age of 33 so to speak at the very height of his creativity. Not many paintings by this artist have survived. He became famous specifically for his genre scenes both in the type of this work and in its similarity. They're all so well defined and subtle. His paintings are so refined academic but this is clearly visible in the details in the way the bottle is worked. You can see like a monk that the painting is called a glass of wine. We even know the work's title so this is very valuable. It's a conversation between a monk and a layman. He's telling the monk something. We see that the painting is very vibrant. I want to say that a very bright detailed cold original painting emerges from under the old yellow varnish. That is as the author the artist himself intended. So I remove this filter so to speak and restore the original intent and color scheme. The painting is so subtle. Look at how the fingers are painted. The painting itself is small as you may have already noticed and the detail is very very fine. I mean the artist's brush was so fine that he sat and painted every detail. How well the dishes in the background are painted. This is worthy of respect and the artist was a very high level artist. I also want to say that the painting is multi-layered. That is it wasn't done all at once but gradually the artist layered the paint. So this was a lengthy work. The piece itself is small but the creation process was quite lengthy. How can I tell from the nature of the painting? That is the artist repeated these returns and he probably painted them piece by piece. So he'd make a drawing first then do some underpainting develop the tone perhaps even a black and white rendition and then he'd glaze and achieve the complexity of color we can see now. The stone floor is revealed and the most difficult part will be with the signature because you always have to be careful. And I suppose it's worth mentioning that artists didn't always paint on a wet paint layer. They painted and could paint after the paint had dried and there's always the fear of brushing off too much. This is very scary for restorers. Therefore the solvent is always selected individually even for the signature and date if there is one on the painting because you can't damage the signature and date. The painting is completely cleared of the old yellowed varnish. I'm moving on to the next stage. This is duplicating the edges that is gluing new ones because the original edges are too small and unsuitable. That means I'll have nothing to grab onto and there'll be no way to stretch the painting properly. That's why in this case I'm using edges. The frame here is still in fairly good condition. It's not worth duplicating the entire painting so I decided to just reinforce the original edges with new ones. It's gradually being smoothed with a spatula. The third edge is already being applied. Another one. Yes gradually gradually smoothed by hand then with a second layer spatula and after the edge is dry meaning I have to wait a while a new stretcher bar was ordered tinted and tinted to match the color and I'm showing the next step stretching it onto the already exhibited stretcher bar. Special shoenails are used and the stretching is gradually accomplished meaning the painting is secured and stretched. First the painting is stretched over the ends and then the edge is nailed on securing it in place so everything looks nice and neat. The stretching is done gradually with one nail being driven in on each side and then stretched from the center outward. I also use other nails to stretch the stretcher bars. I secure the edges of the canvas first then the dense wood so it takes a while to get them in place. Little by little all the nails are driven in. I put the painting aside for a while and return to the frame because I need to move both the painting and the frame in parallel to deliver it at the same time. The dirt has been removed as I showed earlier and a partial primer has been applied so there were quite a few losses here and then I apply the toning that is first an underlining is applied that is a reddish brown color this is called a tint and then on top of the tint a gold like paint will be applied a tint I guess that's the correct word in other words the artist's original intent is restored as closely as possible so initially the author did it this way first they applied the varnish then this red brown varnish and then they applied the gold leaf onto the varnish it was glued on in pieces so the gold was already glued onto this red brown varnish and now I'm gluing it on I only do the tinting in the areas where there were losses or chips for example the corners were chipped this happens all the time with frames after I finish tinting the frame I move on to the painting that is I do well the painting had a primer applied after stretching and I show you how the tinting is done gradually the color doesn't build up all at once but the tone and color build up layer by layer the paint gradually darkens and the tinting I want to say is done using the Pantel technique Pantel is applied in individual dots according to the rules the rules of restoration it's important to capture not only the color but also the design and toning maintaining this balance is always crucial because sometimes the toning dries and becomes darker then restorers have to wash it off and reapply it they need to make the toning as unnoticeable as possible so that it doesn't stand out from the overall color scheme of the original painting which is crucial restorers must have a keen sense of color and tone I go over all the edges gradually toning edge after edge all these tonings aren't done all at once as you understand they're done gradually after the toning is complete I begin the final stage of restoration this involves covering the painting with a new protective layer of varnish the painting is completely polished I apply this new protective coating you can see how the painting emerges from under the varnish it becomes rich and vibrant just as the artist intended it takes on a very pleasant color under the varnish the chloride is of course very pleasant I smooth the varnish over the paint layer to ensure there are no clumps anywhere and that the application is uniform after the varnish dries on the painting I finish tinting the frame itself I add highlights first and then gold gold paint is used here the tinting is done as close as possible to the original in this case not the paint layer but the original gilding I want to point out that tinting frames is difficult because they're metal and because metal has its own angle or as the correct term is the refraction of light at a specific angle can make the tinting stand out a little that's the only thing that matters now the painting has dried meaning it's finished it's such a beautiful piece the painting is superb academic style at the highest level you can admire this painting for a long time it's a pleasure to create such paintings I'm very glad she came to me for work I hope the client will be equally pleased with my work I'm showing the reverse side of the painting I'm not just saying that the front should look beautiful in my opinion but that the back should also be harmonious and aesthetically pleasing here's the painting already framed the tinting is finished on the frame and partially covered with varnish to prevent it from rubbing off and here I'm showing the painting already finished in the frame after restoration this is what the painting looks like now I want to say that not much of this artist's work remains this piece will be a highlight of a private jewelry collection and a source of pride here's the painting before and after restoration