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Conservators Rejuvenate Rembrandt Peale's


George Washington (Patrae Pater)

In 1795, 17-year-old Rembrandt Peale accompanied his father, artist Charles Willson Peale, on portrait sittings arranged with President George Washington. Twenty-eight years later, at the peak of his career, Rembrandt Peale decided to build from his early experience and paint what he hoped would be the grand, definitive portrait of the first president. In addition to his own sketch, he studied notable images of Washington created by other artists. Upon completing George Washington (Patriæ Pater), Peale exhibited it in the Capitol in February 1824, hoping that Congress would purchase it. Finally, in 1832, the centennial year of Washington’s birth, Congress acquired the portrait from Peale for $2,000, and it was hung in the gallery of the Senate Chamber, today’s Old Senate Chamber.

In order to proceed with the recent work in the Old Senate Chamber, it was necessary to remove George Washington (Patriæ Pater) from the gallery. The Office of Senate Curator used the opportunity to arrange needed conservation treatment for the canvas and frame. Lance Mayer and Gay Myers were selected to treat the canvas, in part because of their expertise in the techniques of early American painters, including Rembrandt Peale. In their book, American Painters on Technique: The Colonial Period to 1860 (2011), they point out that it was not until the middle of the 19th century that ready-made artist supplies began to be commercially avail¬able in the United States. Before that, American painters relied upon connections to painters in Europe and informal networks among each other to improve their access to supplies. Rembrandt Peale kept notes on his extensive experiments with painting materials, which aimed to improve the durability and color quality of paints.

Alert to Peale’s propensity for experimentation, the conservators identified the cause of the “Scars or Losses. . . scattered small spots in many places,” described in a previous 1972 conservation treatment of the canvas. The spots are actually millions of tiny globules of lead soaps that formed as a result of changes in the ground or paint layer to which Peale had added lead. In the past, some of the lead soap bumps became detached in areas of dark paint. Cleaning the painting of old, yellowed varnish layers also removed old, discolored in-painting done by earlier conservators, and under magnification the re-exposed losses resembled small, waxy, light-colored craters. Gay Myers in-painted these numerous, tiny losses, plus some of the more noticeable cracks in the paint. Fortunately, the paint layer now appears to be stable, with no new bumps being formed.

In the final step of conservation treatment, new varnish layers were applied that provide better saturation of the paint and minimize the visual impact of the bumps and cracks that are the result of natural aging processes occurring with the passage of time. Once again, the freshness and vitality of Rembrandt Peale’s portrait has been restored.

Conservation treatment for the frame also contributes to the improved appearance of the painting. Testing was carried out to confirm the original gilding scheme for the frame, a significant number of losses and previously made poor repairs were replaced, and a new presentation finish was applied to the surface of the frame to match the surviving original gilding. The subtle play of color and light from the frame’s restored finish significantly enhances the richness and beauty of Patriæ Pater.