Object: Oil on canvas

Title: Waterlandschap bij avond (Waterlandscape at evening)

Artist: Christiaan Hendrik Hammes (1872-1965)

Date: 1915

Dimensions: 47.0 x 65.0 cm

Collection: Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, Amersfoort

• Surface accretions

• Yellowed and distractingly glossy varnish

• Various losses

• Compromised structural integrity (e.g. protruding key, frayed canvas edged, broken stretcher, deformed canvas)

Goal: to improve the aesthetics and the physical integrity of the painting.

1. Preliminary consolidation

   Any loose paints need to be consolidated in preparation for subsequent handling and treatment.

2. Surface cleaning

   The layer of foreign deposits needs to be removed to reveal the surface underneath. Cleaning can mitigate further degradations that are triggered by surface dirt and organic materials, like biological threats and moisture attraction.

3. Varnish removal

   For a painting with a highly texturized surface (heavy impasto), the glossy varnish becomes distracting. Retaining this layer also compromises the chromatic balance since it has yellowed over time. The long-term safety of the painting can also be jeopardized since the natural-origin varnish will continue to oxidize, and its future removal will require a more aggressive removal system. So a varnish removal treatment is proposed.

4. Structural treatment

   Structural issues like fragile edges and protruding keys need attention to restore the painting’s structural integrity.

5. Consolidation

   Varnish removal can reveal more loose paints that need to be consolidated.

6. Fills

   The painting shows quite a few losses that need to be filled. This will achieve a leveled surface regarding the entire paint surface.

7. Revarnish

   Adding a layer of stable and synthetic varnish will ensure more saturated colours, even gloss, and surface protection.

8. Reintegration

   A full imitative retouching campaign is in favour of restoring the painting's visual unity. Retocuhing is executed in phases, sandwiched between a layer of varnish.