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Frans Hals Dutch, c. 1582/1583 - 1666 Adriaen van Ostade, 1646/1648 oil on canvas, 94 x 75 cm (37 x 29 1/2 in.) Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1937.1.70 |
Object 5 of 7
Conservation Notes
The support, a fine-weight, plain-weave fabric, has been lined with the tacking margins trimmed. Cusping indicates no change in dimensions. Lining has reinforced the impression of the canvas texture in the paint surface. The smooth, white ground layer is visible through the transparent background paint, appearing light brown to the eye.Paint is applied freely in thin layers defined by broad, distinct, sure brushstrokes. A dark layer was applied first to serve as a color for the background and an underpaint layer for the jacket, with reserves left for the face and hands. The face, collar, hands, and gloves were brought to a higher degree of finish in fuller bodied paint with brushwork blended wet into wet. X-radiography shows a minor adjustment to the right half of the collar, which was initially straighter. The entire collar may have been slightly smaller.
Two small losses are found above and below the mouth on the left side, along with scattered small losses in the lower half of the jacket. The black paint of the jacket is moderately abraded and a 3 cm section of hair to the left of the face is severely abraded. The painting was treated in 1990 to remove discolored varnish and retouching.
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