The removal of dirt, grime and thick discolored varnishes breathes life back into this centuries old still life. An heirloom passed down through family, the painting was dark and tattered and viewed with some disregard. The cleaning not only revealed the exquisitely detailed birds but also their origin; a faint signature in upper right belonging to a Scottish painter named William Gouw Ferguson, who though little known, is noted as being “one of the most accomplished British still-life painters of the 17th century”.

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