Portrait of captain Benjamin Freeman

Artist Unknown, circa 1880

Under normal lighting this portrait of Captain Benjamin Freeman appeared discolored but in fairly stable condition.

However, raking light revealed a fragile and extremely unstable painting.  Paint and ground layers were cracking, cupping and rapidly pulling away from the canvas.  The canvas was dry, brittle and slack, further accelerating paint loss.

The photo of the half-cleaned portrait reveals great potential.

The final restoration includes stabilization, reconsolidation, lining to a new canvas support, cleaning, varnish removal and minimal inpainting with conservation grade varnish as well as correction to frame installation.

As can be seen from the before & after comparison, Captain Benjamin Freeman has been fully stabilized and conserved by utilizing state of the art methods and materials as outlined by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

Captain Benjamin Freeman has returned to his original noble grandeur.

Courtesy of the Brewster Historical Society