Paintings from the Hull Maritime Museum’s collection have been given some much-needed TLC.
The works are being conserved as part of the ambitious Hull: Yorkshire Maritime City project, funded by Hull City Council and the National Heritage Lottery Fund.
Painting restoration and conservation specialists Critchlow & Kukkonen have undertaken a survey of more than 400 paintings to assess their condition and future conservation requirements.
The Diana in an Ice Dock by James Wheldon after removal of dark grey surface dirt and halfway through varnish and over-paint removal.
About 30 paintings have been selected as in need of some TLC and work to 15 of them – some dating back to 1800s – has begun.
They include a large oil painting of the Wilson Line ship SS Consuelo, the ship which first carried Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel to the US in 1910, and an oil painting depicting two whalers Swan and Isabella in the Arctic by the Hull painter John Ward.
Restoration work on ‘Two whalers the ‘SWAN’ and ‘ISABELLA’ in the Arctic’ of c. 1830 by John Ward.
The delicate work includes surface cleaning, the removal of dust, dirt and varnish using a mixture of solvents, repairing extensive tears and filling in losses to the paint layers.
Watch a video of the work below.
Philippa Beesley, conservation and engagement officer, said: “This specialist work is being undertaken to ensure the paintings are in the best possible condition to tell their dramatic stories and are ready to be displayed once the museum has received it major refurbishment.”
