Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
What’s in a Painting?
Image: Geoff Pugh / Telegraph
Apparently a lot. Intensive restoration performed in 1988 and 2002 removed layers of paint on the only two know existing portraits of Shakespeare to be painted during the Renaissance playwright’s lifetime. It was believed that both paintings (an original portrait and a replica) had been painted over years after his death. Conservationists thought Shakespeare’s hair was altered to a bald head, and removal of the added layers would reveal what he looked like during his life. However, new evidence first reported by The Art Newspaper suggests that the modifications had been made while Shakespeare was still alive, or within ten years of his death, and depicted the artist’s changing face as he aged. The Telegraph describes the conservation “as one of the worst botches on record in the art world,” which erased important information about Shakespeare’s appearance in his later life.
One Response to “What’s in a Painting?”
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April 1st, 2009 at 5:44 pm
coupdefoudre said:
I believe the telegraph used the term ‘restoration’ and that the work was done by a restorer. Be careful not to generalize a specialized field of conservation with a apprenticed trained restorer – there is a very big difference between the two. Who was the restorer and what are their credentials? How could such an important painting be left to the hands of a restorer…likely to save a few bucks…