Conservation: Transforming an 18th-century portrait and waistcoat | V&A
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 лип 2022
- Follow the conservation of two uniquely connected objects acquired by the museum: a silk waistcoat worn by Bristol merchant Edward Curtis in the 1700s, together with a portrait of him wearing the exact same waistcoat - a rare double acquisition for the museum.
Watch as the yellow varnish on the surface of the portrait is gently removed to reveal how the colours of the oil painting match the finely woven silk of the waistcoat.
Find out more about our paintings: www.vam.ac.uk/collections/pai...
Follow more conservation stories: • Conservation & restora...
The V&A is a gem. The best large museum in London.
The skill of the artist in replicating in paint that gorgeous fabric is breathtaking! Thank you so much for sharing these items with us!
I love that you can actually ground truth a painting restoration. To see what the painter saw and then see it’s image in a painting and see that those two things match after restoration of the painting adds another data point to the arguments about the accuracy of modern restoration techniques.
We are fortunate indeed to have such talented conservators in the UK - Bravo on 2 wonderful jobs!
A wonderful video as always. But in this case I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about the story of this double acquisition. Were the two pieces already together when the V&A bought them? If not, how did you match them? Were you looking to acquire the painting and came across the waistcoat? Vice-versa? I'd love to know more about how the two pieces came together!
I was wondering the same type of things.
Or did the family/later acquisitors keep them together? The Boston MFA has a couple of similar "matches": the silver teapot in Revere's hand in Copley's portrait can be closely compared to one kept in a case right next to it; the silver tea service in a Cassatt painting of a tea party is (I believe I'm correct in saying) the same one shown in her painting....also displayed nearby. Material cultural "matches" to images in a work reflect doubly as both object and iconography.
The pair were bought for £9,500 by the V&A, March 6th 2019 at Cheffins, Cambridge. Antique Trade Gazette.
It doesn't take much research online to find out that the painting and waistcoat were auctioned as a 'job lot' for £9,500 and acquired by the V&A. Interesting that the two items have been kept together all these years!
I must say, Mrs Mckever's outfit is equally striking.
The removal of that yellowed varnish really makes a difference! I would also be interested in hearing more about who kept them for so long. More of the back story would be wonderful. Great video!
Wonderful! I love to see the transformation in paintings that go through restoration! I'm very grateful to the V&A and other museums for preserving, restoring, protecting and SHARING treasures like this. Thank you.
You can follow Baumgartner’s restoration channel in YT, he’s quite famous now.
@@cz2301 I was going to say the same thing lol
That is amazing, she did such a great job, very interesting....
Impressive! Our clothes are lucky to survive a decade.
Thank you, V&A!!!
Are there some up close photos of the waistcoat? Perhaps the lining and at the seams? I am always interested in how quality garments we're constructed. Also the buttonholes seem to be bound in a thicker than usual thread- any static closeups? Thanks ever so much.
Freeze the video on the buttonholes: they are "corded", with the thread worked over a cord to make the stitching more prominent. It also reinforces the buttonhole edges.
If you go to the V&A website - Collections - Edward Curtis Waistcoat, there are 7 high detail photographs of the waistcoat. British museums are currently digitising their entire collections (including photography), so the big museums generally have all their 'best' pieces fully logged by now. It's just the stuff they don't know they have that isn't online yet.
I hope these are displayed together. I would love to see this beautiful waistcoat one day.
I believe they are part of their new exhibition of Men's fashion; Fashioning Masculinitues: The Art of Menswear.
Congratulations yo the V&A experts
And the algorithm finessers
This video was perfectly executed & timed!
That is a wonderful acquisition for the V&A! Great job!
I love conservation!
Such a magical pair!
All the videos on this channel are so interesting. Thank you for letting us see behind the scenes 💚
Excellent video!
Thank you for posting.
Thoroughly enjoyable, thank you
WHAT a great job you ladies have! 🙂🙂🙂
Amazing!!!
Lovely. Thouroughly enjoyed it. I would have loved to see someone working on the aristocrat but I presume the camera was not available on those days.
Wonderful ✨
Marvelous
Fabulous video
Wonderful
Very much enjoyed your video and so I gave it a Thumbs Up
How long did the conservation take, once started?
Wonderful. Thank you for the youtube
I want this job, what can you study for this or to work at museum or restoration/conservation?
LIBERA A TRADUÇÃO AUTOMÁTICA PARA TODOS OS IDIOMAS POR FAVOR
I missed an assessment about the canvas and stretcher. Also, as she mentioned some surface issues due to the pressure from the lining, was the lining redone? Last a shout out to Julian Baumgartner, thanks to whom I understood what was done when and, most importantly, why on the paining.
😃😍🥰
Ars longa vita brevis
Is this the son of Edward Curtis who was acting as an agent for Bristol merchants engaged in the transportation of slaves to the West Indies in the 1710s?