Treatment of The Triumph of the Winter Queen: Allegory of the Just, dated 1636, by Gerrit van Honthorst (Dutch, 1590–1656):
July 2011
The cleaning process has now progressed more than halfway across the painting. The varnish is still being removed from the surface, as is the overpaint. The figures look more luminous and beautiful without the old yellowed varnish. And some exciting discoveries have been made, such as the much larger shape of the clouds, as well as some new architectural details.
Here are before (left) and after (right) details of the face of Henrietta Maria:
During (left) and after (right) cleaning details of the face of Louise Hollandine:
