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Posts by Olympia Diamond
Finishing touches to Murillo
5 December 2017 by Olympia Diamond

Installation of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s altarpiece Virgin and Child in Glory (1673) at the Walker Art Gallery
The practical treatment of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s altarpiece Virgin and Child in Glory (1673) finished in August, marking the end of a year-long major conservation project, which you can track in my previous blog posts.
The final phase of treatment involved retouching damages and losses on the oil sketch and Virgin and Child in Glory (1673).
The dramatic history of the painting, including the cutting and removal of the central section of the Madonna and Child, meant that two pieces from the same artwork had separate histories, and thus visually aged differently.
Revealing Murillo…treatment underway
10 May 2017 by Olympia Diamond

During treatment photograph. Varnish has been removed from the left side of her face.
The practical treatment of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s altarpiece Virgin and Child in Glory (1673) has been progressing at a steady pace. My initial examinations, discussed in my last blog, involved investigating the layer of varnish on the surface of the painting…
It begins! The conservation of Murillo’s Virgin and Child in Glory
16 March 2017 by Olympia Diamond

Detail image before treatment of Virgin and Child in Glory, c. 1673
Upon viewing Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s altarpiece Virgin and Child in Glory at the Walker, I admit, I was a bit overwhelmed by the subject staring down at me. However, after it arrived in our paintings conservation studio and was removed from its brightly gilded frame, the painting was subdued yet quietly powerful. And in need of some care and attention…
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Christopher Wood uncovered
28 November 2016 by Olympia Diamond

Still Life with Tureen and Fruit by Christopher Wood after treatment and conservation works
In 2016 the opportunity to investigate and conserve the painting, Still Life with Tureen and Fruit, 1925 by British Artist Christopher Wood (1901-1930) arose when the painting was requested for loan to an exhibition at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. Wood, born in Knowsley, Merseyside, was an early pioneer of British modern art and the exhibition, titled Christopher Wood: Sophisticated Primitive 2 July – 2 October 2016, was the first retrospective of Wood’s career since 1979. It was an exciting chance to breathe new life in his work.