Page 27 - The Hunt - Spring 2021

subject matter. The pieces have all succumbed to neglect, abuse, or the ravages of time, light and oxygen. In the furniture studio around the corner from Porell’s lab, Kathy Gillis and Mark Anderson are restoring two of the remaining three chairs used in the U.S. Senate after the building was burned in the War of 1812 and restored in 1819. “One was used by Henry Clay and another by Hannibal Hamlin,”
Gillis says. “Another one that was used by Jefferson Davis was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.”
A second work in progress is a 17th-century chest recently acquired from New Haven, Conn. Made of tropical hardwoods with ornate finishing, it’s in need of repair and a great teaching example.
Gillis also is an affiliate assistant professor in the Delaware program. Like most veteran Winterthur conservators, she has a formidable background, having worked with the furniture collections at Colonial Williamsburg, the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She’s also served as head of conservation at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
In the science research and
analytics lab, University of Delaware students have begun working on
a handkerchief. Using an XFR
(X-ray fluorescent) analyzer that
is “completely non-destructive,”
they test the napkin to see what
dyes and mordants (substances
used to make dyes permanent) were used
in its construction. Another lab is used for preserving paper-based works, while yet another is designed for handling ceramic and metal pieces. In the textiles labs, conservator Laura Mina works on a printed fabric that needs cleaning. “A rule of treatment is to never do anything you can’t reverse,” she says.
the better-known Benjamin West. Williams was born in England and knocked around the Caribbean before settling in Philadelphia, where he painted the three grown children
of David Hall, who was Benjamin Franklin’s partner in a printing business.
Winterthur has the portraits of the two
Hall brothers, along with a self-portrait that reveals more than just the artist’s appearance. “He wrote what’s considered to be the first truly American novel, so he considered himself a man of letters—but he did better as a painter,” says Mark Nardone, Winterthur’s
Many centuries-old paintings have been restored one or more times in their histories, so finding the original varnish still intact is rare. Then a decision must be made whether or not to preserve it.
manager of communications. “Using some
of our X-ray tech, our conservators and researchers found him holding a pen and tablet under the painting of him holding a brush and palette. So he finished his life with a different view of himself.”
After a scientific analysis, Porell considers
the varnish that’s the finishing coat on most oil paintings. “They used natural resins until the first quarter of the 20th century,” she says. “They’ll oxidize, darken and turn yellow over time.”
Many centuries-old paintings have already been restored in the past, so finding the original varnish intact is rare. Then a decision must be made whether or not to preserve it.
Obviously, early conservators had fewer scientific tools and weren’t as well trained
as the likes of Porell. A graduate of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture co-sponsored by the University of Delaware, she has a master’s degree in art history from the University of Georgia and has held positions at other museums. As she works on the painting of David Hall Jr., his brother, William, sits on a nearby easel. She’s removing earlier repairs, including retouches and the places where the restorer “filled the losses” in the layers of the painting. It’s crucial
that the new textures match the rest of the painting. “One of the things we’re increasingly doing is thinking about future restorers and communicating with them about what we’ve done,” Porell says.
Most work being done today is carefully documented with photos and notes to give the next conservator more information on how and where to begin. Porell refers to the documentation from a portrait of the Hall brothers’ sister, Deborah, which was so badly worn
and faded that Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont didn’t acquire
it for his collection. Instead, it went to the Brooklyn Museum, where Sheldon Keck, who set up one of the country’s first museum laboratories, restored it and documented the reworking. In the photo of the Deborah Hall painting taken before restoration, her likeness is so faint that it looks almost like an apparition.
Winterthur often volunteers to evaluate and possibly restore distressed objects from other local institutions—particularly if they have good teaching potential. “While Winterthur has a very deep collection, in some areas, it may not always be that wide,” Porell says.
Once COVID-19 restrictions ease, the museum will likely return to its conservation clinics, which are open to the public. There, they address the condition, care and treatment of antiques and works of art. Some objects may even find their way into one
of Winterthur’s “operating rooms” to await expert treatment and a return to good health.
Visit winterthur.org.
In her work with the Hall portraits, Mina Porell is doing more than just restoring two paintings. She’s also helping to restore the status of painter William Williams. Believed to be the first American to do full- length portraits, Williams was the tutor for
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