Conserve

Masterpiece Hiding in Plain Sight

BY JULIAN BICKERSTETH, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL TRUST COLLECTIONS COMMITTEE

Art conservation is a rewarding profession, but rarely does it lead to the excitement of a recent project at Woodford Academy. This is the story behind the unexpected discovery of one of the most significant works in the National Trust’s collection.

The painting at the Woodford Academy presented as a rather dull still life of a disrupted table setting – a pulled back tablecloth, a half-eaten pie, remnants of nutshells and a goblet on its side. Painted on two wooden boards which had come apart and housed in a gilt frame, the work had clearly seen better days. How it came to be at Woodford was unknown. When Gertrude McManamey bequeathed the house to the National Trust in 1979, it came with its contents, including many original oil paintings, believed to have been acquired by Alfred Fairfax, nephew of Sydney Morning Herald founder James Fairfax, who purchased Woodford in 1868. When and where Alfred might have acquired the still life is still a mystery.

First examined in Melbourne in 2009, the painting was thought to be most likely a nineteenth-century work. But despite the dullness of the painting, the National Trust had long recognised that the quality of the execution was outstanding, and the imagery was typical of Dutch seventeenth-century artist Willem Claesz Heda (1594 – 1680). Heda is considered one of the great masters of the Dutch Golden Age of painting and specialised in still life, often using the same plate, knife and carafe. One of the characteristics of these works is that the plates always appear to be about to fall off the table. Donations make the difference The National Trust’s Rescue.Revive.Reveal conservation appeal provided the impetus and funds to investigate what might lie under the painting’s dull surface and determine whether it was, in fact, a Heda. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the enigma of the still life was about to be revealed.

The first task was to document and assess the painting. Our conservators discovered a heavy layer of dirt, a discoloured varnish that was giving the whole composition a yellow-brown hue, flaking paint and evidence of previous restorations. The examination also gave us our first clue that the work might be older than thought. A stamped indent in

Below Claire Heasman, Senior Paintings Conservator at International Conservation Services, carefully retouching the artwork (photo by ICS).

Opposite The painting after treatment (photo by ICS).

“The examination also gave us our first clue that the work might be older than thought.”

the back of the oak panel looked like a panel maker’s mark, possibly an M over a W. We turned to expert Professor Jørgen Wadum in Denmark for his opinion. While he could not identify the mark conclusively, it was becoming clear that we were dealing with a seventeenthcentury painting, not a nineteenth-century one.

Next came the cleaning process. We drycleaned the surface and then wet-cleaned it with de-ionised water. We then removed the discoloured varnish using ethanol solvent gels to reveal the true colours of the painting. But what came next was a much bigger revelation.

The tiny but crucial discovery We knew that Dutch artists of the Golden Age sometimes took pleasure in hiding their signatures in obscure places. Late night (literally) examination under a microscope showed markings on the knife blade that looked remarkably like a signature. Photographs were taken and sent to Dr Norbert Middelkoop, the Curator of Old Masters at the Frans Hals Museum in the Netherlands and art historian Dr Fred Meijer, who agreed it was indeed the signature ’ionG. HeDA 1640’. The wording is characteristic of Gerret Heda, Willem Claesz Heda’s son, who signed his early work ’Ionge’ (young) Heda. Moreover, the objects in the painting belong to the Heda studio inventory and appear in a still life by Willem dated 1639. The work predates Gerret’s earliest known dated work by two years, suggesting he was only 17 at the time. Perhaps his father assisted, as there appears to be a W (for Willem?) added. Sadly Gerret, who clearly showed much promise – his work is in the Rijksmuseum – died when he was 25.

A stunning result Charged with the excitement that we were working on a painting not only around 400 years old but definitively the work of Gerret Heda, the restoration continued. We applied an isolating coating of Laropal A81 to saturate the composition, infilled and retouched losses, and rejoined the timber panels, not an easy task given that both panels had warped. Finally, we applied a further protective layer of Laropal matt varnish, and a new frame was sourced that was in keeping with the painting’s origin and date. The result is simply stunning.

With the generous support of donors, the intriguing enigma of the Woodford Academy still life had finally been unravelled, revealling a new treasure to add to the National Trust’s important collections.

The painting will be on display at the S.H. Ervin Gallery from 12 – 27 November, 2022. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am – 5pm. Visit shervingallery.com.au

Julian Bickersteth is CEO of International Conservation Services, which undertook the conservation of the Heda. Treatment was undertaken primarily by Claire Heasman, Senior Paintings Conservator. Analysis was supported by Adam Godijn, Head of Conservation and Matteo Volonte, Principal, Paintings Conservation, who also found the signature. Oliver Hull, Principal, Furniture Conservation undertook the complex re-joining of the oak panels. Sophie Brown of Sophie Brown Conservation Framing reframed the painting.