Vd helst restoration a picture in progress

Restoration a picture in progress

Bartholomeus van der Helst (c. 1613-1670), The Governors of the Amsterdam Longbow Civic Guard House, 1653.

Oil on canvas, 183 x 268 cm. Amsterdam Museum, inv.no. SB 7329. Image before treatment

Image in ultraviolet light, showing old retouches (dark areas)

X-ray image, showing damaged areas

Infrared Reflectography (IR), showing underlayers of the painting

IR image, detail

Detail showing overpainted area

Detail showing overpainted area

Old cracks and overpainting

Image during varnish removal

Varnish removal

Area after varnish removal (right hand side)

Detail during varnish removal

Detail during varnish removal

Removing old fillings

Image of the ‘stripped state’ – old varnish and retouchings removed

Image after filling

After Bartholomeus van der Helst, Small-scale copy after the painting, 1653. Oil on canvas, 49 x 68 cm.

Paris, MusĂŠe du Louvre, inv.no. 1332

Jacob Colijns (1614-1686), Copies after the painting in, 1653.

Water colour in black, brown and grey, oil in white, black chalk, c. 235 x 350 mm.

London, British Library, Ms. Egerton 983, fols 3 and 4

Attributed to Jacob Colijns (1614-1686); Copy after the painting, with enlarged setting, c. 1653.

Water colour in black and grey, oil in white, black chalk, 281 x 439mm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-T-1947-4

Jacob Colijns (1614-1686), Copy after the painting in the Family Album of Frans Banninck Cock, c. 1653.

Water colour. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. C 1102 (loan private collection)

Julius Quinkhard (1736-1776); Copy after the small-scale Louvre copy.

Black and red chalk, 517 x 707 mm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-T-1950-441

PHOTO CREDITS 2 t/m 5: Amsterdam Museum 6 t/m 10 en 15 t/m 21, 23: Erika Smeenk-Metz 22: Niels den Haan 11 t/m 14: Norbert Middelkoop