This portrait of a ship’s captain from 1834 has undergone previous restorations for extensive damages to the canvas and paint layer. Overpaint covering damages in the face of the sitter are dark, discolored and distracting. In this instance, a complete reversal and reworking of all of the previous restorations to this painting was not feasible or practical. Even if possible to have successfully cleaned the painting of all the old restoration, the cost of reworking those damages would far exceed the value of the painting and the client’s budget. I proposed to retouch the old areas of overpaint to better blend in with the original and lessen the impact of the damage. This proved to be a worthy compromise resulting in a much more appealing portrait and a very happy client.

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