Projects
Portrait of a Girl
Artist unknown
Mid 20th Century
Oil on canvas
Date completed : 1 July 2005 Duration : 1 Week
Condition.
The Portrait of a Girl had been damaged in a flood. The white appearance of the surface is known as ‘blanching’. There are several causes of blanching but in this case it was due to moisture becoming trapped in the varnish layer.
Conservation treatment.
Blanching can sometimes be difficult to treat. Luckily, for this artwork it was confined to the varnish layer and after dissolving the surface coating, the paint layer was revealed fully intact.
![Before treatment.](https://www.conservationregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2a-adj-.jpg)
![Portrait of a Girl](https://www.conservationregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2b-adj-1.jpg)
![Portrait of a Girl](https://www.conservationregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/3-adj-1-988x803.jpg)
![Head after removing the blanching, varnishing and retouching.](https://www.conservationregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4-adj-1-988x803.jpg)
![Foot before treatment.](https://www.conservationregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5-adj-1-988x803.jpg)
![Foot after treament.](https://www.conservationregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/6-adj-1-988x803.jpg)