Explore selected works
Frederick Ballard Williams's early twentieth-century painting Summer Pastoral had an extensive system of cracks known as craquelure before its treatment.
Prior to conservation:
Conservators stabilized areas that were lifting, tenting, and cupping by cooling the painting under pressure. They fused cracked paint by placing the work on a heated vacuum suction table. Then they filled and in-painted areas of paint loss and applied a new varnish. The frame was missing many small pieces, so conservators sculpted it with plaster and bole. They cast eleven molds, recast two corners, and reconstructed the losses. Gold pigments were applied to match these areas to the surrounding frame.
After conservation:
Frederick Ballard Williams (American, 1871-1956)
Summer Pastoral, circa 1908-1933
oil on canvas
Gift of Mrs. H.S. Morgan and S.F. Hughes, 33-11-408
Permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University
Niagara Falls is attributed to renowned landscapist Albert Bierstadt. Decades before the painting entered the Mulvane collection, it sustained severe damage from a burst pipe. Treatments were attempted over the years, some of which caused more harm to the work. At the time of its 2023 restoration, Niagara Falls was in poor condition.
Prior to conservation:
After thorough inspection and testing, conservators cleaned grime and overpaint from the work, stabilized weak structural elements, and added pigment to areas of paint loss. They coated the painting with thin layers of protective varnish, and cast molds to recreate the frame’s missing pieces.
After conservation:
Attributed to Albert Bierstadt (German American, 1830-1902)
Niagara Falls, mid to late 19th century
oil on canvas
Gift of Dr. Dorothy Fuller, 86-11-27
Permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University
The face of the young girl in Charles Hawthorne's c. 1928 painting Wildflowers was damaged while the painting hung in an office on Washburn campus. Sometime around 1980, facilities workers accidentally dripped paint on the work and attempted to clean it with turpentine, which significantly damaged it.
Prior to conservation:
Conservators cleaned grime from the painting, reversed waves and dents in the surface, and in-painted the areas of damage.
After conservation:
Charles Webster Hawthorne (American, 1872-1930)
Wildflowers, c. 1928
oil on canvas
Donation of 100 Subscribers, 00-11-407
Permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University
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Watch short videos highlighting paintings in the exhibition.
