‘Two Bay Hunters Communing On The Bank Of A Lake’

by George Stubbs

Sometimes our conservators surpass even themselves.

This challenging Stubbs painting was a true test: even our senior conservator Majo Prieto Pedregal ACR, with her decades of experience and previous success on equally sensitive and complex works by this artist, initially thought that removal of the discoloured varnish from this painting might be impossible. Stubbs’ experimental use of wax, oily glazes, and lean media made the original paint extremely sensitive, requiring careful, sophisticated approaches to remove layers of discoloured varnish and tough overpaint.

Carrying out diligent testing, Majo found that a combination of methods, deployed with meticulous precision and attention, could give the desired results: swab-rolling solvents on lighter areas of paint such as in the sky, borax/PVA gels containing acetone was carefully applied to the delicate soft browns of the horses’ flesh, and mechanical removal softened with ammonia for removal of some of the hardest areas of overpaint. Some small hardened, early restoration layers couldn’t be safely removed, so they were retouched to blend seamlessly.

The result? A dramatic reveal: brighter, cooler skies, stronger contrasts, and vibrant details that bring the artist’s vision to life.

Our client’s reaction says it best: “WOW! It is looking incredible… The change is remarkable. I can see so much more detail in the horses and of course the overall colour of the painting is now just stunning.”

We couldn’t be more proud of Majo, who continues to outdo herself with curiosity, skill and patience, and continues to amaze us with her astonishing treatment results.