https://www.patinapal.com/home daily 1.0 2022-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/facfa4bf-adc6-4045-b52b-2df2f29a9448/RESTORE+HISTORY+on+HP.jpg Home - Restore history New York City-based painting and icon conservator Olga Nikolic-Litwin faithfully rehabilitates art and ensures its survival. She approaches every restoration project with care, thought, and respect for the piece and its history — as well as the client's wishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/d44795ba-731f-42dd-bc1f-6d4a2e66c771/RECLAIM+image+on+HP.jpg Home - Reclaim Olga doesn't make old look new again: she sees and coaxes out the beauty within aged paintings and icons, many of which have been reclaimed from basements, rescued from war zones, or betrayed by previous poor restorations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/2ffbca06-9e28-48be-b703-7408ffecb64d/HONOR+TRADITION+on+HP+-Dutch+landscape.jpg Home - Honor the tradition Whether you are restoring an inherited family portrait, a religious icon, or a darkened landscape painting, you are honoring the past while bringing something precious into the future. https://www.patinapal.com/services daily 0.75 2022-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/2a3fb35b-46e1-42b6-af94-1b172c1c1454/SERVICES+page.jpg Services https://www.patinapal.com/testimonials daily 0.75 2022-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/6bb65b44-4faa-4d69-9162-0f669ffb56e2/TESTIMONIALS+page.jpg Testimonials - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.patinapal.com/the-conservator daily 0.75 2024-04-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/8963efd6-a20d-4f63-87ce-3bc2821ad280/olga.jpg The Conservator https://www.patinapal.com/contact daily 0.75 2022-05-21 https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1 daily 0.75 2022-05-21 https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/peasant-girl monthly 0.5 2022-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/8062e152-3c07-4562-8008-bcd4cdd4e8aa/russian1.jpg Case Studies - Peasant Girl Before painting restoration. Two long tears run across the middle area of the canvas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/59bb0b22-51dc-4dd2-a430-b6e8190cba47/russian2.jpg Case Studies - Peasant Girl Before painting restoration. A view from the back of the painting clearly shows the extent of the torn canvas as well as its deformation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/9b278fc6-c430-4394-9a80-679991a7610f/russian3.jpg Case Studies - Peasant Girl During painting restoration. The canvas tears were flattened and repaired. Along the tears, a chalk filling was applied. The painting was surface-cleaned from grime and soot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/2ef56e1a-79aa-459d-ac9d-a4aa3af3db79/russian4.jpg Case Studies - Peasant Girl After painting restoration. The damaged areas of the painting were retouched and varnished. https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/portrait-of-mrs-pitt monthly 0.5 2022-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/34a50454-6c71-492a-a7f8-0d4d949d5de8/kneller1.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Mrs. Pitt The painting before restoration. The entire surface of the painting has been thickly overpainted. How much of the original paint has been preserved underneath? Will the quality of the remains be enough to convey the artist's skills and intentions? The owner of the painting is curious and brave, giving the conservator a "green light" to proceed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/3a0dc3fd-e4a4-42ee-b033-bbbfc2635358/kneller2.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Mrs. Pitt The painting during restoration. The overpaint is being carefully removed. Old (brownish-yellow) fillings where the ground and paint layers are damaged have become visible. Much of the paint has been abraded leaving the grayish ground layer visible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/b542f266-86f9-48dd-9433-189576e84e02/kneller3.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Mrs. Pitt The painting during restoration. The overpaint has been removed. The extent of the damage and loss to the original painting has been revealed as well as its (indestructible) beauty and subtlety of execution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/1650822603574-5UGI1PGKEN73MTCB1518/kneller4.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Mrs. Pitt The painting after restoration. Minimal retouching of the old fillings and the largest abrasions in the paint layer were enough to reestablish the aesthetic harmony of the painting, without the need to impose too much of the conservator's interpretation. https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/female-figure-with-a-bird monthly 0.5 2022-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/1651979515755-5VLSESYYM3T0CC83H2UL/femaledetail1.jpg Case Studies - Female Figure with a Bird Before conservation treatment (detail). Yellowed varnish has shrunk into little islands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/3aa0bc5e-f070-4504-b7d3-02bff892d16d/female1.jpg Case Studies - Female Figure with a Bird Before conservation treatment. Thick, yellowed varnish flattens the space of the image and distorts the intended color of the wood pieces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/d6602a13-494b-4d76-8462-a885ebad250d/female2.jpg Case Studies - Female Figure with a Bird After conservation treatment. The old varnish was removed. The intended variety of colors and three-dimensionality of forms have been reestablished again. A thin varnish layer was applied to saturate and protect the surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/9a26ea43-8845-49d8-8b63-0e0a47864a18/femaledetail2.jpg Case Studies - Female Figure with a Bird After conservation treatment (detail). https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/early-american-portrait-of-a-man monthly 0.5 2022-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/1652013715444-AGASF1K08QRR56ZW5K3C/american1.jpg Case Studies - Early American Portrait of a Man Before painting restoration. There is a layer of yellowed varnish as well as dirt and grime on the painting's surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/ffa3079a-dcc1-4147-b455-af1c8a31e0cd/american2.jpg Case Studies - Early American Portrait of a Man Before painting restoration. Tacking edges of the canvas are torn off or missing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/a8ca5510-ce64-4215-9e54-1249d8f3da76/american3.jpg Case Studies - Early American Portrait of a Man Before painting restoration. The surface of the painting, seen under a strong reflected light, shows the unevenness and creases in the canvas. Early "drying" cracks in the paint and ground layers (around and on the sitter's head) are also visible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/5a24bc6e-dc93-4c91-b50e-01f4640fe7f8/american4.jpg Case Studies - Early American Portrait of a Man During painting restoration. After relaxing and flattening the canvas, its edges were reinforced by strips of a new canvas. The strips are attached with an adhesive to the back of the canvas (along the tacking edges). This method is known as strip lining. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/8f5f2660-ffee-46d3-9210-412ff662c3af/american5.jpg Case Studies - Early American Portrait of a Man During painting restoration. Detail of a tacking edge after the strip lining and restretching of the painting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/1652013742925-63944I964TGK0IXNHXUN/american6.jpg Case Studies - Early American Portrait of a Man After painting restoration. Several small areas of the paint loss have been retouched. After the old varnish and surface dirt were removed, the painting was varnished again. https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/portrait-of-shakespeare monthly 0.5 2022-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/f651a603-def4-42e3-8ea7-98f909f630c0/shakespeare1.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Shakespeare Painting before restoration. When the painting arrived to the conservation studio, a thick layer of dust covered everything. The frame was loose and broken with a chipped corner. The painting’s condition was even more serious. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/586e117d-ad3b-45e3-a3ad-1ed73ac1c76e/shakespeare2.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Shakespeare Painting before restoration. (After being removed from the frame). Prolonged exposure to a dry and dusty environment has caused the wooden panel to shrink, which then caused the paint and ground layers to crack and sporadically flake off. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/02a90d34-4e9a-4049-aafb-bf808f12911b/shakespeare3.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Shakespeare Detail of the head before restoration. “Tenting” is a type of cleavage when paint and ground layers are forced upward in a tent shape. Here, the tenting is especially visible on the right side of the face. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/2a1b0431-811f-45b6-b873-4ddc0b139191/shakespeare4.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Shakespeare Painting during restoration. The cracked and lifted paint and ground layers were relaxed by using humidity and pressure. A liquid adhesive was introduced to secure the bond between those layers and the wood panel. New white gesso fillings were applied where the ground layer was missing. Surface dirt was removed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/b48846d7-f016-4d29-b47d-ab60e7989e62/shakespeare5.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Shakespeare Painting after restoration. The missing and abraded paint layer has been retouched. A coat of varnish was applied over the entire surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/321fdbcc-a29f-4aac-a50d-5f395cfba955/shakespeare6.jpg Case Studies - Portrait of Shakespeare After painting restoration (detail). The painting went through several restorations during its long history. The old retouchings and fillings were skillfully done and did not need to be removed during this restoration. Moreover, they are contributing to the painting’s patina. https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/dutch-landscape-with-a-river-scene monthly 0.5 2022-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/0526741e-223d-4f89-baeb-d86ea6b29e92/dutchlandscape_1.jpg Case Studies - Dutch Landscape with a River Scene Before painting conservation. The painting has a yellowed and dulled varnish that was applied during a previous restoration treatment. The original paint and ground layers, as well as the retouching from previous treatments, are sporadically flaking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/de815a6f-7272-4410-abfa-893a948add8e/dutchlandscape_detail.jpg Case Studies - Dutch Landscape with a River Scene Before painting conservation. A detail from the lower left corner shows the flaking of the original paint and ground layers, caused by shifts in the wood panel and possibly by excessive heat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/4bc98089-4a99-4f27-92dc-28ff31f314b5/dutchlandscape_2.jpg Case Studies - Dutch Landscape with a River Scene During painting conservation. The yellowed varnish was removed; the flaking was consolidated; and new fillings (visible as white patches) were put wherever the ground layer was missing. Old, discolored retouchings were removed as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/3292517b-ff12-4317-8ec8-15fd4536c731/dutchlandscape_3.jpg Case Studies - Dutch Landscape with a River Scene After painting conservation. The abraded and missing paint layer has been retouched. A new varnish has been applied. https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/lilacs monthly 0.5 2022-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/b388f266-bcd3-4baf-84d2-a9ce9a0b05bd/lilacs2.jpg Case Studies - Lilacs During painting restoration (detail). After flattening the canvas, a new chalk filling replaced the missing ground layer, and the yellowed varnish was removed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/c9b51472-7f47-4c1b-a328-34bf494f650f/lilacs1.jpg Case Studies - Lilacs Before painting restoration. Paint loss obliterates an area of the painting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/047f3415-8c05-40da-95a0-1776baaec2f2/lilacs3.jpg Case Studies - Lilacs After painting restoration. After reconstructive retouching of the damaged area, the painting was revarnished. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/af9605a8-841e-4333-b58f-314dc8700600/lilacs4.jpg Case Studies - Lilacs After painting restoration (detail). https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/fowey-castle monthly 0.5 2022-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/51a79af7-d836-4491-9d14-ceaf1f33a90d/webb1.jpg Case Studies - Fowey Castle Painting before restoration. This fishermen’s cove seascape seems to be set in late afternoon. Aside from two tears in the canvas and fragile tacking edges, the cleaning part of the treatment looked, at first, to be straightforward. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/41627bc1-0612-457d-ab31-75e9fc20179f/webb2.jpg Case Studies - Fowey Castle Painting before restoration. Detail of the left side of the painting with cliffs and the fortress. Two tears in the canvas are also visible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/c49c023b-4df9-4241-978b-c33316b20808/webb3.jpg Case Studies - Fowey Castle Painting during restoration. (Detail) The cleaning of the right side of the painting involved only the removal of the yellowed varnish layer. The very left side showed, after the varnish was removed, several layers of overpaints, possibly done at different times in the painting’s history https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/b262b60d-c0d0-4c91-b6e7-108168cb1567/webb4.jpg Case Studies - Fowey Castle Painting during restoration. (Detail). The same area during the overpaint removal. The brownish overpaint over the rocks under the fortress has been removed, uncovering light-colored rocks with another entrance to the fortress. The warm, yellowish cliffs and dark, round rocks in the foreground have numerous, thick and hard-to-remove overpaints. Further removal of the overpaint would endanger the thin paint layer underneath and disrupt the balance in the composition of the painting. After consulting with the owner, the conservator stopped the cleaning and started the retouching process. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/830c2951-c9f5-454e-a34e-5b48116b77e1/webb5.jpg Case Studies - Fowey Castle Painting after restoration. (Detail). The same area after the retouching and revarnishing. The retouching phase focused on smoothing the transition between the different shapes and brushstrokes. The solidity of the rocks has been reestablished. Moreover, the depicted space in the painting (especially between the dark rocks in the foreground and the light cliffs with the fortress behind) has become deeper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/7e1673b4-cf5e-470b-8fb2-8ea47ce7c848/webb6.jpg Case Studies - Fowey Castle Painting after restoration. The apparent atmosphere of an afternoon twilight so dominant before the painting's treatment turned to be really a sunny daylight. https://www.patinapal.com/case-studies-1/russian-icon-of-bozhey-materi-znamenie-our-lady-of-the-sign monthly 0.5 2022-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/526a744e-a3c3-4605-89b4-328e68dd9057/russianIcon1.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) Before icon restoration. The icon’s condition indicates a long and turbulent history with a variety of damages which were repaired numerous times. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/1eabb2ef-0d55-43f8-85fa-979def52c3c4/russianIcon2.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) Before icon restoration. Under reflected light, the icon’s distorted surface and the damaged paint and ground layers are clearly visible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/21e039f4-6bd3-4205-895c-68c5db3d1200/russianIcon3.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) Before icon restoration. The side view of the icon’s panel shows that it was made of three wooden boards. The joints between the boards had separated and vertical gaps between them are visible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/4f79b89b-edab-4596-97f2-6510567be46c/russianIcon4.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) Before icon restoration. The central area of the icon under raking light shows tenting and flaking of the paint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/44881494-6f92-4f4f-917e-7abb30e2937d/russianIcon5.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) Before icon restoration. Detail of Mother of God’s hand. The paint layer is cracked and flaking. Moreover, the ring and little fingers, located along one of the vertical joints in the panel, are later retouching. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/ccdfba65-824d-4565-9286-fb1759b5651b/russianIcon6.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) Before icon restoration. Detail of Mother of God’s right eye. Closer inspection of the icon’s surface, especially where the paint was missing, revealed the existence of another, older paint layer underneath. It might be hard to know what exactly lead to such a radical overpainting of the entire icon but in this photo, a finer network of drying cracks is clearly visible under the top paint layer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/a0718f28-1450-4578-bdd0-0037c5945340/russianIcon7.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) During icon restoration. Since the work on the icon could not proceed without the repair of the panel, the conservator collaborated with the panel paintings specialist. In order for the specialist to safely handle the icon while working on its structural problems, the conservator had to protect the icon beforehand. This phase is called “facing”: overlapping squares of fine paper tissues were attached to the icon’s surface with liquid sturgeon’s glue. The tightening of drying paper and the penetration of glue accompanied by light pressure of a heat iron, contributed also to relaxing and consolidation of the paint and ground layers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/0e4317f7-10c7-43b1-b9e2-cc6a4659cde9/russianIcon8.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) During icon restoration. After the structural work on the panel was done, the icon was returned to the conservator. The facing paper was removed. White gesso fillings were applied where the ground layer was missing. The retouching phase could start. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/21f6c41c-db4d-4d37-9b40-d2df2bcf6820/russianIcon9.jpg Case Studies - Russian Icon of Bozhey Materi Znamenie (Our Lady of the Sign) After icon restoration. During the retouching phase, the conservator had to acknowledge the numerous (mostly irreversible) changes that occurred in the icon during its history. The discolored and roughly-matched old retouching, the pronounced cracks as well as the stains have all become equally important parts in re-establishing the icon’s aesthetic unity. https://www.patinapal.com/icons daily 0.75 2022-05-21 https://www.patinapal.com/icons/archangel-michael-with-saints monthly 0.5 2022-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/6fd87989-f1b0-47af-b5c1-b4790750063e/1a.+Archangel+Michael+with+Saints+-+Copy.jpg Icons - Archangel Michael with Saints Icon during restoration: after cleaning with new gesso infill https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/dcf0c31e-d4dc-4328-9cfd-fc1fc045c0cc/1+_+1b+Archangel+Michael+with+Saints.jpg Icons - Archangel Michael with Saints Icon after retouching and varnishing https://www.patinapal.com/icons/crucifixion-of-jesus monthly 0.5 2022-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/2f5cb56a-7b82-4e71-a6bb-ad71b4fd40b6/2a.+Crucifixion+of+Jesus.jpg Icons - Crucifixion of Jesus Icon before restoration: flaking of the paint layer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/88bf352e-fa2b-4fcc-956d-a536956ef9ed/2+_2b.+Crucifixion+of+Jesus.jpg Icons - Crucifixion of Jesus Icon after restoration https://www.patinapal.com/icons/saint-nicholas monthly 0.5 2022-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/3bedd87c-995e-488c-9c22-0cb83b584f35/3a.+Saint+Nicholas.jpg Icons - Saint Nicholas Icon before restoration: darkened varnish and surface dirt have obscured the colors and numerous details https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/4b35b094-a501-42ac-b54d-781f91bb27bd/3+_+3b.+Saint+Nicholas.jpg Icons - Saint Nicholas Icon after restoration https://www.patinapal.com/icons/archangel-michael monthly 0.5 2022-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/1652540011620-NQXSJJ8TR9BGWDC5GIEY/4a.%2BArchangel%2BMichael.jpg Icons - Archangel Michael Icon during removal of surface grime https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/1652539979526-RLI9NX7DTBESOP9XGKJL/4%2B_4b%2BArchangel%2BMichael_.jpg Icons - Archangel Michael Icon after restoration https://www.patinapal.com/icons/saint-peter monthly 0.5 2022-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/026eb078-0a95-4c9f-8e1c-f0892ef769e1/5b.+Saint+Peter.jpg Icons - Saint Peter Icon before restoration: accumulated dirt and darkened varnish make the saint and the background hard to distinguish https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/806a2f73-e196-41f1-9622-fc6c165964b7/5+_5b.+Saint+Peter.jpg Icons - Saint Peter Icon after restoration https://www.patinapal.com/icons/vladimir-mother-of-god monthly 0.5 2022-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/40f03fde-c479-4ba4-9011-4529e015ab8b/6a.+Vladimir+Mother+of+God.jpg Icons - Vladimir Mother of God Icon before restauration https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/626412892774c536bfa5881a/b00adfac-cced-4979-9356-bbe76cbda46d/6+%266b.+Vladimir+Mother+of+God.jpg Icons - Vladimir Mother of God Icon after restoration. Wooden panel was consolidated but left with losses at its corners.