National Gallery Company Limited

Mastic and Megilp in Reynolds's "Lord Heathfield of Gibraltar": A Challenge for Conservation
Author(s): RACHEL MORRISON
Source: National Gallery Technical Bulletin, Vol. 31 (2010), pp. 112-128
Published by: National Gallery Company Limited
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/42616223
Accessed: 20-10-2015 13:43 UTC

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 Masticand Megilpin Reynolds'sLordHeathfield
ofGibraltar:
A ChallengeforConservation
RACHEL
Sir JoshuaReynolds(1723-1792) is one of Britain's
mostcelebrated painters.Havingpaintedtheportraits of
many of thewealthy men and women of Britishsociety
in thesecondhalfoftheeighteenth centuryand as the
first
president oftheRoyalAcademy, he was enormously
influential.Yet Reynolds'spaintingtechniqueshave
longbeena subjectofintrigue anddiscussion. Hispaint-
ings have always been notorious, even amongsthis
contemporaries, fortheirtendencyto fadeand crack;
phenomenaassociatedwith his choice of materials.
Thedrying cracksandwrinkled paintvisibleinmanyof
his worksare oftenascribedto hisuse of experimental
bindingmedia,sometimes incomplicated combinations.
These methodshave renderedmanyof his paintings
particularly difficultand in some cases impossibleto
clean.The NationalGallery'sportrait of LordHeathfleld
ofGibraltar(fig.1) wasrecently examinedintheconser-
vationstudioin orderto determine whether itwouldbe
to
possible carry out conservation treatment toimprove
theappearanceof thepicture.Sincethetaskofremov-
ing discolouredvarnishlayersand old repaintswas
unlikelyto be straightforward, a carefultechnicaland
analyticalstudyof thepicturewas instigated withthe
aimofinforming anypotential conservation treatment.
Thisalso presented theopportunity to studyReynolds's
paintingtechniqueand the possiblereasons forthe
crackingand deterioration of thepaintin moredetail.
Theresultsofthisstudyhaveincreasedourunderstand-
ing of how the paintingwas made and informed our
assessmentof its condition.Examinationof cross-
sectionsamplesin combinationwith the analytical
studyof smallpaintscrapingshas allowedus to relate
thephysicaldefectsvisibleon thepaintsurfaceto the
materialschosen by Reynoldsand to his particular
methodsofpainting.
Lord Heathfleldof Gibraltarwas purchased forthe
NationalGalleryin 1824 as part of the Angerstein
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MORRISON
collection.It was commissionedby AldermanJohn
Boydelland painted in 1787, towardsthe end of
Reynolds'scareer.Lord Heathfield, a national hero,
was celebrated forhis defenceof Gibraltar againstthe
three-year siegeby Spanish and French troopswhich
in
began June 1779. Reynoldsdepicts him, defiantly
grasping thesymbolic 'keyofGibraltar' in hishands,at
thedecisivemomentof thefinalbattlethatendedthe
siege.The twocannonsand thesmoke-filled skybehind
him suggestthe defeatedSpanishfleetof 'battering-
ships' whichwere set ablaze on the morningof 13
September 1782. Heathfield sat to Reynoldsfiveyears
afterhistriumph at Gibraltar,
on 27 August1787. This
was the firstof seven sittingsrecordedin the 'sitter
book',therestofwhichtookplacein September ofthat
year, and the was
portrait finally purchasedbyBoydell
forthesum of 105 in October1787. Furtherdetails
ofthehistory and provenance ofthepaintingaregiven
in JudyEgerton'scatalogue of the BritishSchool
Paintings in theNationalGallery.1
The portrait of LordHeathfield is thelatestof the
fiveportraitsby Reynoldsbelongingto the National
Gallery.Itis an extremely well-known imageafter which
manycopiesweremade,and it was admiredas one of
Reynolds's mostaccomplished portraits.2However, the
paintinghas suffered frommanyof the usual kinds
of paint defectsand deteriorationassociated with
Reynolds'spainting technique, and perhaps now
appearsin poorercondition thantheotherpaintings by
Reynolds in the National Gallery.Extensive drying
cracksarepresentthroughout thepicturebutare most
disturbing in partsofthedarkbackground, wherethey
areso widethatat somepointinthepasttheyhavebeen
filledand repainted. The paintsurfacenowseemsto be
coveredwitha patternof smooth,untextured fillsin
amongst the cracked and wrinkled paint(fig. 2). The
fillsthemselves have a slightlydippedsurfaceand are
 Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfield A ChallengeforConservation
ofGibraltar:

fig. 1 SirJoshuaReynolds,
LordHeathfleld
ofGibraltar on canvas, 142 x 113.5 cm.
(NG 111), 1787. Oil and resin(identified)

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RachelMorrison

Conservation
history

Reynolds 's clientsand hiscontemporary audiencewere

wellawareof thetendencyof his paintingsto crack.3
The portrait of LordHeathfield was no exception, and
barelytwentyyears afterits executionit was already
knownto be marredby severecracking.The diarist
and landscapepainterJosephFarington(1747-1821)
reportsa conversation at CharlesLong'sdinnertableon
10 June1809 in which'pictures paintedbySirJoshua
fig. 2 NG 111, detailshowingthewidecracksin thebackground Reynolds were spoken of.Mr.Knightsd.Hisfineportrait
whichhave beenfilledand overpainted.
ofJohnHunteris utterly gonebycracking&c. Westsd.
thesameofHisportrait ofLordHeathfield.'4
surroundedby raisedridges,makingthemobviously Sinceitsacquisition bytheNationalGallery in 1824
discernibleeven froma normal viewing distance. thepaintinghas receivedsomeconservation treatment.
Elsewhere,the dryingcrackshave caused the upper It was striplinedby WilliamJohnMorrillin 1938,
layersofpainttoretract, allowingtheunderlying paint, presumably torepairweakenedtackingmargins, butno
oftenof a completely different
colour,to showthrough otherstructural problemsare apparent.In 1986 some
(figs 3 and 4). Similar defects,perhapsto an even of themostpronounced dryingcracksin thecoatwere
greaterdegree,are also visiblein theNationalGallery's retouched.The appearanceof thesecracksseemedto
portrait ofColonel Tarleton(NG5985), whichdatesfrom be moreprominent thanin a photograph from1931,
1782, just a fewyearsearlier.However, theportrait of suggesting that overthe intervening periodof some55
LordHeathfield also appearsextremely yellowed, which yearsthepainthad continuedto contract. The portrait
compromises the appearance of the paintingeven has also beenrevarnishedat leasttwicesinceitjoined
further. Thesurfaceis coveredwiththickand ingrained the NationalGalleryCollection.It was examinedin
coatingswhichcreatea blotchy, mottledappearance 1859, whenitwas notedas beingVerymuchbitumen
(fig. 5). In thelighter passagesof the particu-
painting, cracked throughout',but there was no recorded
larlythe fleshpaintof the hands,the waistcoatand conservation treatmentuntil 1867, when it is
thebreeches,thisis especiallydisfiguring (fig. 6). The documentedthat some repaintswere removedfrom
discoloured surfacelayershavecollectedin theuneven the backgroundand the paintingwas repairedand
texture ofthepaint,makingthewrinkling andcracking varnished.A surface-polishing treatment,carriedout
appearevenmorepronounced. by the restorer WilliamVallance,is recordedin 1945

fig. 3 NG 1 1 1, detailshowingthedryingcracksin theepaulette fig. 4 NG 1 1 1, detailshowingthedryingcracksin therocky

of LordHeathfield's uniform. foreground to theleftof LordHeathfield.

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 Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfield A ChallengeforConservation
ofGibraltar:

fig. 5 NG 111, detailshowing

LordHeathfield'shead.

fig. 6 NG 111, detail

showingtheblotchy
appearanceof thelighter
passagesof paint.

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RachelMorrison

and a further varnishwas appliedbyArthurLucas in werealso foundto containsmallquantitiesof micro-

1956.5Thisunusuallycomplete recordofthehistory of crystallinewax.7HelmutRuhemanncitesCosmolloid
the pictureprovedto be an extremely usefulresource 80 H, a brandof microcrystalline wax, as the main
duringthisresearch.Knowledgeof theseconservation ingredient in wax polishforpictures,and it is likely
treatments was vital forthe interpretation of both thata similarrecipewas usedbyWilliamVallanceatthe
cross-sectionsamplesand theresultsofmediumanaly- NationalGalleryduringthe 1940s.8The application of
sis and alloweda morepreciseunderstanding of the a thinlayerofwaxpolishmayhaveencouraged thepick
conditionof the picture.Withthesefactorsin mind, up of surfacedirtand perhapsaccountsforthe layer
someoftherecentstudywas directed towardsbuilding ofdirtparticlestrappedbetweenthetwovarnishes.
up a more detailedpicture of the restorations thathad The extentof the 1867 conservation treatment is
alreadytakenplace. somewhatunclear,and itis difficult to be certainabout
Cross-sections taken fromrestoredareas of the howmuchoftheevidentretouching was appliedat this
background show that thereare twodistinct layersof point. Neverthelesstherecords do not implythata full
varnishabovetheuppermost layerof repaint(fig. 7), cleaningwas undertaken at thistimeanditis likelythat
whichpresumably correspond to thevarnishesapplied muchof therestoration visibleon thepaintingsurface
in 1867 and 1956 respectively. The two layersare was carriedout beforethisdate. Indeed,the records
mostclearlyseenunderultraviolet light(fig.8) and are statethatrepaintswereremovedfromthebackground
separatedby a thin line of material whichdoes not in 1867, suggestingthat considerablerepairshad
fluoresceand whichappearsdark.Thisprobably repre- alreadybeenmade.It seemsunlikely thatthetreatment
sentsparticles ofsurfacedirtand suggeststhata period to filland retouchthe cracksin the backgroundwas
of time elapsed betweenthese varnishapplications carriedout at theNationalGallery, and thereforethese
whichis consistent withthedatesof thedocumented repairsmustdatefromsometimebefore theacquisition
conservation treatments. The mostrecentapplication of thepicturein 1824. Manyof Reynolds'spaintings
of varnishwas identified as the synthetic resinAW2, had to be repairednotlongaftertheywerecompleted
probably withtheadditionofa littleheat-bodied linseed and Reynoldshimself, or one of his assistants,was
an old bottleof varnishfoundin the
oil.6Interestingly, frequentlycalledupon restore
to damagedpictures. The
conservation studioandthought todatefrom theperiod RevdWilliamMason,a poetwhobecamea closefriend
in whichArthurLucas was workingat the National ofReynolds, wroteabouttheportrait ofLordHolderness
Gallerycontainsa varnishofsimilarcomposition, with thatit Verysoon faded,and soon afterthe forehead
a handwritten labelthatreadsA.W.2Resin,50g resin/ particularly cracked,almostto peelingoff,which it
100ml white spirit+ 5% stand oil'. The mixture wouldhavedonelongsince,had nothispupilDoughty
containedwithinisnowratherorangeincolour,andthe repairedit'.9 Reynoldskeptdetailedtechnicalnotes
AW2varnishon theportrait ofLordHeathfield probably aboutmanyofhispaintings, whichwerewritten in his
contributesto its overallyellowedand discoloured accountledgersinhisownparticular mixture ofEnglish
appearance.Analysissuggeststhatthevarnishapplied and Italian,and in 1772 he even recordsa specific
inthe1867 treatment is an oil-resinmixture consisting examplewhenhe hadtoretouchthecracksofa portrait
mainly of heat-bodied linseed oilwith a little
mastic and he was workingon.10AfterReynolds's deathin 1792,
tracesof oxidisedpine resin.Severalvarnishsamples his most long-standingstudio assistant,Giuseppe

fig. 7 NG 111, cross-section

froman overpainted, filledcrackin
thedarkbackground,showingtheoriginalplum-coloured paintat
therightend of thesample,thechalkfilland severallayersof over-
paint.Two thinlayersof varnishare visibleabovetheoverpaint.
fig. 8 NG 111, cross-section in fig. 7 shownin
illustrated
ultravioletlight.The twothinlayersof varnishat thetopsurface
are visibleand are separatedbya darkline.The original
plum-coloured paintfluoresces strongly.

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 Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfleld A ChallengeforConservation
ofGibraltar:

Marchi,builta reputation forrestoring hispaintings, a two.Theblueandgreypaintlayersseenatthebottomof

practicewhich appears tohave him
kept extremely busy thissampleare partof theoriginalbackground paint,
untilhe diedin 1808.n However, itseemsunlikely that and are onlydistinguishable fromthe laterrepaintby
the portraitof LordHeathfield was restoredby either theirincreasedfluorescence seenin theultraviolet light
Reynolds or an assistant. The paintingwas displayed in image (fig. 10). The pigments used in the layersof
theGuildhall inLondonfrom1794 until1808-9, when repaintare extremely similarto those foundin the
itwas removed byJosiahBoydell, JohnBoydell's nephew originalpainting. onlynotabledifferences
The are the
and heir,on thegroundsthatitscondition was deterio- redlakepigmentused byReynoldsin theoriginaland
rating.Thiscircumstance, alongwithFarington's com- the presenceof a starchextenderassociatedwiththe
mentsof 1809, suggeststhatthewidedrying cracksin Prussianblue in theoverpaint.14 Conversely no starch
thebackground werestillhighlyvisibleat thistime.It was detectedin theoriginalpaintmixtures containing
seems most probablethat the fillingand repainting Prussianblue,and thisdifference again suggeststhat
of the backgroundtookplace in the earlynineteenth therestoration was carriedout in theearlynineteenth
century,sometimebetween1809 and 1824, whenthe century. Starchwas commonly used as an extender in
paintingenteredtheNationalGalleryCollection. thenineteenth century, particularlyforpigments with
On examiningthe paintingin the conservation a hightintingstrength such as Prussianblue,but its
studioitimmediately becameclearthattherepaintsin use is lesscommonin theeighteenth century.15
thebackground werenotconfined solelyto filledareas. During therecent examination some smallcleaning
In factmuchof the backgroundis entirely repainted. testswerecarriedout in areas of repaintin theback-
The murkybrownoverpaint extendsbeyondtheraised groundto establishif it was possibleor desirableto
ridgesat the edges of the and coversalmostall of
fills, removethismaterial. Thelayersofoverpaint werefound
thesmoke-filled sky.In cross-section itisevidentthatthe to be relativelysolublein organicsolventsdespitebeing
overpainthas been builtup in severallayersabove boundin heat-bodied linseedoil.Thisis perhapsdue to
the restorer'swhitechalk putty(figs7 and 8).12An thepresenceof intermediate varnisheslikethatvisible
initialgrey-brown layeris followedby a thin layer in cross-section abovethe layerof Prussianblue (fig.
of intensePrussianblue.13A subsequentapplication of 10), but in any case it was possibleto removesomeof
anotherthinlayerof greypaint,similarin composition therestoration froman area of filling. The fillitself,
as
tothefirstlayerofoverpaint, completes thesequence.In expectedfora chalkand glueputty, couldbe softened
a furthercross-section froman area ofthebackground with moisturebeforebeing mechanicallyremoved.
whereno fillwas present(fig. 9), theoverpaint can be However,the difficulty of removingtheselayersfrom
identified
sincethesamepatternoflayersis visible,but partsof thesurfacewhereno fillsare presentproduces
heretheyhave been applieddirectly overthe original an additionalchallenge.Thecross-sections demonstrat-
paint,withno evidenceofa varnishlayerseparating the ed thatthereis no cleardivisionbetweenoverpaint and

fig. 9 NG 111, cross-section froman overpainted area of the fig. 10 NG 111, cross-section in fig. 9 shownin
illustrated
darkbackgroundwhereno fillis present,showingthesame build ultraviolet
light.
up of overpaintlayersas visiblein thesampleillustrated
in fig. 7.

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RachelMorrison

originaland theremovaloftherepaintwouldrelyon a resin.Althoughthese materialswere also foundin

significant difference
solubility betweenthetwo,notat samplesof varnish,in thiscase thesamplewas taken
all guaranteedgivenwhat we knownof Reynolds 's fromwithina cleaningtestwheretheupperlayershad
paintingtechniques.Furthermore,makingthe visual beenremoved.It is therefore possibleto be reasonably
distinction
betweentheoriginaland theoverpaint
dur- certainthat the masticresindetectedis indeedpart
ingcleaningwaslikelytopresent
considerable
problems. of Reynolds's paintmediumand is not attributable to
varnishcontamination. This assertionis supported by
thestrongfluorescence ofthispaintlayerin ultraviolet
and Reynolds
Cracking s paintmedium light(fig. 8), whichimpliesthatthe paintis richin
organicbindingmediumand suggests thepresenceofa
Nonetheless, the cleaningteston the backgrounddid resinouscomponent.A second sample of the same
offerthe opportunity to studythe materialsof the background paintwas takenfroma flatter, less glossy
originalpaint in more detail.
Thetestwas carriedoutat area further away fromthe edge of theuncovered dry-
thetopedgeofthepainting in a darkarea ofthesmoke- ing crackwherethe paintappearedless mediumrich
filledsky.The uncoveredoriginalpaintwas warmerin and translucent. The same combinationof materials
colourthantheoverpaint, witha moreplum-coloured was detectedby GC-MS analysis,but with a lower
tone.Itcontainsvermilion and somelargeparticles ofa proportion of masticresinrelativeto the heat-bodied
cochinealcarmine-type redlakewith,in addition, some linseedoil.It is temptingto suggestthattherehas been
black,a littlelead whiteand someparticlesofPrussian some partitioning of the materialswithinReynolds's
blue. Once the fillhad been removedfromthe large paintmediumwhichhas caused the paintdefectsto
dryingcrackand theoriginalpaintexposed,theextent form,and that his oil resinmixturewas inherently
of the deformations and the plasticdistortion in the unstable.It maynotbe possibleto drawsucha conclu-
originallayersbecameevident.The painthad retracted sionor to determine whetherthisis indeedthemecha-
and stretched, creatingwidevalleyswithglossy, raised nism by whichthe crackshave developed,but it is
edgeswherethemobilepainthad pooledand collected. clearthatfroman earlydateReynolds's use ofa varnish
Forthemostpartthepaintappearedso ductilethatit which containedmediumwas held responsiblefor
had notactuallycrackedall thewaythrough, although the severecrackingin manyof his pictures.One of
in a fewplacesthebrightblueunderlayer had become Reynolds'spupils, James Northcote,wrote about
visiblewherethe upperlayerhad pulledapart.The Reynolds'stechniquein a letterto his brotherdated
ridgesvisiblearoundtheedgeof each of thefillsin the 23 August1771, shortly afterhe joinedthestudio.
background actuallyseemto be formed in theoriginal
'He uses hiscolourswithvarnishesofhisown
paintlayers. A cross-sectiontaken throughthe edge
becausetheoilsgivethecoloursa dirtyyellow-
ofoneofthefills(fig.7) showshowtheoriginalpaintat
ness in time,but thismethodof his has an
therightendofthissamplebulgesup aroundthewhite
inconvenience fullas bad, whichis that his
chalkfilland almostappearsto flowoverthetopof it,
picturescrack;sometimesbeforehe has got
suggesting thatthepaintcontinuedto moveevenafter
themoutofhishands.'16
therestoration was carriedout.A samplewas takenfor
mediumanalysisfroma comparableraisedpartof the Northcote alsoremarks that'itis commonwithpainters
backgroundpaint. The fragments, when examined inLondontouse masticvarnishwiththeircolours'.
underthemicroscope, consisted ofa translucent,
largely Reynoldsmay simplyhave added some mastic
varnish-like matrixcontainingonlya relatively small varnishto hisoil whilemixingthepainton hispalette.
proportionof pigmentparticles characteristicof However,as discussedby JoyceTownsendet al., it is
Reynolds's paintmixtures. In particularsomelargeand interestingthattheearliestknownwritten mentionof
distinctiveparticlesof redlakeand somePrussianblue thegelledpaintingmediummegilpis foundin a 1767
were discernible.Analysisby gas-chromatography- ledgerbelongingto Reynolds,where he notes the
mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) identified a mixtureof materialsused forspecificpaintings.17A true gelled
heat-bodied linseedoilwitha largeproportion ofmastic megilpis madebycombining masticvarnishwitha dry-

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 Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfleld
ofGibraltar:
A ChallengeforConservation

ingoil whichhas beenpreparedbyheatingwitheither

litharge(leadoxide)orsugaroflead (lead acetate),and
itmaybe thatReynolds madehisownmegilpmediumin
thisway.Indeed,one of Reynolds'snotesspecifically
refersto a varnishmade frommasticdissolvedin oil
withlead acetate,'Varnished withGumMast,dissolved
in OilwithSal Saturni(?)'.18Whatever theexactrecipe,
there are frequentmentionsof 'magilp','mag.' or
'magp.' dottedthroughReynolds'sledgersafterthe
initialentry.Thenotesoftenincludea complicated listof fig. 12 NG 111, cross-sectionfromthecrackedpaintin the
mediawithmegilpfeaturing as onlyone ofthepossible rockyforeground, showingthethickapplicationof medium-rich
translucentpaintbetweenlayersof yellowochre.The translucent
ingredients. Sometimes masticvarnish, orvarnishwith-
layercontainsparticlesofvermilion, Prussianblue,black,some
out oil,is mentioned ratherthanmegilpand itis clear yellow,a fewparticlesof whiteand a littleredlake.
thatReynoldsused different mediaat different stages, fig. 13 NG 111, cross-sectionillustratedin fig. 12 shownin
ultraviolet
light.The thickapplicationof medium-rich paint,
and mostprobablyin different passages,of the same
betweenthelayersof yellowochre,is highlyfluorescent.
painting.19 Thisalso seemstobe thecase in theportrait
ofLordHeathfield. Duringthisstudythelowerlayersof paint,whichcontainsa proportion ofmasticresin.This
paint from the cracked originalbackgroundwerealso layeringof differentmedia must have beena majorcon-
investigated.In the area of the cleaning test the tributingfactorin theformation ofthedrying cracks.
backgroundwas initially paintedblue,presumably to Similarresultswereobtainedfrom thecrackedpaint
indicatethesky,beforebeingrendered darkto givethe oftherockylandscapeinthelowerleftforeground. Here
impression ofsmoke.A cross-section showsthebuildup theupperbrownlayershavecrackedto reveala bright
oftheoriginalpaintlayers(fig.11) including theinitial yellowunderpaintidentified as a yellowochre of a
mixed grey layer,the intenselycoloured layer of particularly brilliantcolour.A cross-section fromthis
Prussianblue and lead whiteand thedramaticcolour area (fig. 12) showsthe thickapplicationsof yellow
changeto thereddishbrownvisibleat the top of the ochreseparatedbya brownlayercontaining a complex
sample.The layersare extremely disruptedand at one mixture of pigments dispersed in a translucent matrix.
pointthe brightblue layerhas fractured and moved In the centreof the samplethistranslucent layeris
towardstheuppersurfaceof the samplewiththered present at the surface, where the yellowpaint has
brownpaintrunninginunderneath it.Organicanalysis apparently cracked.On eitherside,above the yellow
of the blue layeralone foundthe bindingmediumto paint,several thintranslucent layerscontaining similar
consistoflinseedoilwithno evidenceoftheadditionof mixturesof pigmentsare present.21 The appearance
a resinouscomponent. In thiscase thelinseedoil had of thissampleagain suggeststhatthe combination of
notbeen heatedto pre-polymerise or thickenit before medium-rich layersappliedbetween layersof more con-
use.20It is likelythatthislayerwouldhave driedat a ventional solid-looking painthas ledtothedevelopment
different rate than the subsequently appliedmaroon ofthewrinkling and drying cracks.In thesamewayas
the originalpaintin the background, the translucent
brownlayeris highlyfluorescent underultraviolet light
(fig. 13), suggesting the presenceof a naturalresin.
Furthermore,attenuatedtotal reflectanceFourier
transform infrared(ATR-FTIR) imagingperformed
on thiscross-section allowedthe organicmaterialsto
be localisedwithinthelayerstructure.22 An individual
FTIR spectrum fromthetranslucent paintlayerin the
centreof thesamplewas extracted fromthedata.This
fig. 1 1 NG 1 1 1, cross-section
fromthecleaningtestin the
matcheswell with libraryspectraof naturalresins
backgroundshowingthefractured and distorted
layersof
originalpaint. and suggeststhata triterpenoid resinsuchas masticis

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RachelMorrison
fig. 14 SirJoshuaReynolds,ColonelTarleton{NG
5985), 1782.
on canvas,236x145.5 cm.
Oil and resin(identified)
present.It therefore seemsverylikelythat a similar
combination of materialsto thosefoundin the back-
ground has been usedin thispassage.
Parallelscan be drawn betweenthe techniques
describedaboveand thoseemployedin the portrait of
ColonelTarleton(fig. 14), whichalso extensive
displays
dryingdefects.Reynoldsused comparablepigment
mixturesand in some cases even more complicated
applicationsof paint.A cross-section fromthe brown
paintofthecannonat theleft-hand edgeofthepicture
showshowReynolds reworked thearea usinga repeated
sequence of mixed red, black and brown layers
separatedbya thick,medium-rich layerinbetween(figs
15 and 16). Similarly, a cross-sectiontakenfromthe
crackedbrownpaintof thehorse'sneck(figs 17 and
18) showsa thickupperlayerof brown,medium-rich
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fig. 15 NG5985, cross-section fromthebrownpaintof the
cannon at theleftedgeof thepicture,showingthereworking
of thearea and therepeatedsequenceof layersseparatedbya
thick,translucentglaze.
fig. 16 NG5985, cross-section in fig. 15 shownin
illustrated
ultraviolet
light.
paint,containingvermilion, black and a littleyellow.
This appears closelysimilarin compositionto the
translucent layerin the samplefromthe rockyfore-
groundof LordHeathfleld. In bothcross-sections these
semi-translucent brownlayersdisplaya milkyfluores-
cence underultraviolet light.Earlymediumanalysis
of paintsamplesfromtheportrait of ColonelTarleton,
carriedout in 1975, identifiedcombinations of oil and
a naturalresin,thoughtto be of a conifer type.23 The
analysiswas performed beforethe NationalGallery
Scientific
Department acquireda mass-spectrometer, so
the typeof resincould not be characterised further.
However, fragments ofthesamplesfromthe1970s still
remainand recentlya littlemore analysishas been
undertaken. The upperlayerof brownpaintfromthe
horse'sneckwas separatedand analysedwithGC-MS.
 Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfield
ofGibraltar.
A ChallengeforConservation

The bindingmediumof this paint was identified as

heat-bodiedlinseedoil witha significant additionof
bothpineresinand masticresin.24 The resultssuggest
thatthe dryingdefectsin thispaintingare caused by
similarcombinationsof oil and resinto thoseused in
LordHeathfleld
of Gibraltar.
However, Reynoldsused a widevarietyof painting
techniques,and one cannotassumethatotherpictures
whichshowsimilartypesofcracking havebeenpainted
in the same way or withthe same typesof materials.
Researchcarriedout at Tate on severalpaintingsby
Reynoldsin theircollectionidentified
beeswaxin the
mediumofthreepaintings.25 Twoofthese,theportrait
of GeorgeIV whenPrinceof Wales,1 785, and TheAgeof
Innocence,about 1788, are paintedwithina fewyears
oftheLordHeathfield portrait.26
bitumen,
Interestingly, whichis commonly referred
to as thecause of deterioration
in manypaintingsby
Reynolds,wasnotidentifiedineithertheportrait ofLord
HeathfieldorthatofColonelTarleton. In fact,theuse of
fig. 19 SirJoshuaReynolds,LadyCockburn andherThreeEldest
a bitumen-containing pigment has so faronlybeen
Sons(NG 2077), 1773. Oil on canvas, 141.5 x 113 cm.
analyticallyconfirmedin one of the fivepaintingsby
Reynoldsin theNationalGallery. Bitumenwas used to
create the black shadows on the red drape in the picturedoes notcontainpronouncedshrinkage cracks
background of Lady Cockburnand her ThreeEldestSons andthedarkbituminous glazesare notnoticeablymore
(fig. 19).27 Althoughsome crackingis evident,this disrupted thanotherareasofthepainting.RicaJoneset.
al also concludedthattheuse of mixtures of different
media,ratherthan an excessiveuse of bitumen,as is
sometimes supposed,was themorelikelycause of the
and
cracking shrinking in thepaintingstheyexamined
in theTatecollection.28

Theuseoffinalvarnish-like
glazes

Manyareasoftheportrait ofLordHeathfield havebeen

finishedwithvarnish-like glaze layers,whichcontain
a of
only sparsescattering pigment Thestatus
particles.
oftheselayersis difficult
tounderstand and,giventheir
appearance,itwouldbe veryeasyto misinterpret them
as simplyold varnishlayersor perhapsa restorer's
toningor glaze-like
retouching. One of themainobjec-
fig. 1 7 NG 5985, cross-section
fromthehorse'sneck,showing tivesofthisstudywas toestablish clearlythedistinction
a complicatedlayerstructurewitha brownupperglazelayer betweenmaterialfromthe originalpaintingand that
containingscatteredcolouredpigmentparticlesincluding
vermilionand black. fromlaterrestoration treatments; notan easytaskbut
fig. 18 NG 59 8 5, cross-section in fig. 1 7 in
illustrated a of
obviously question particularimportance whena
ultraviolet
light. cleaningtreatment
potential is beingconsidered.
To this

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RachelMorrison

end it was vitalto understandthe restoration history

of the painting,and we are extremely fortunate that
suchrecordsas alreadydescribed do exist.
The restorers'varnishespreviously discussedand
visiblein cross-sectionabove the layersof overpaint
are relatively
thinand togethermeasureonly~7-15
micronsthick.However, in severalofthecross-sections
takenfromareas withoutany evidenceof restoration
thefluorescent,varnish-like layersat thesurfaceofthe
samples are much thicker, measuringbetween 30
micronsand up to as muchas 70 micronsin one case.
These are clearlyof a different composition fromthe
restorationvarnishesappliedsincetheNationalGallery
acquiredthepicture.Reynoldsfrequently notedin his
ledgers thathe finished a paintingby glazingor with
layersof varnish,eitherwith or withoutpigments
Therefore, it seemspossiblethatmuch fig. 20 NG 111, cross-section fromthewaistcoatshowinga
incorporated.29
thicktranslucentlayerabovethewhitepaintwhichcontainsfine
of thetranslucent varnish-like materialon thesurface particlesof vermilion,
a littleblackand someyellowparticles.
mayin factbe partof theoriginalpainting,and these fig. 21 NG 111, cross-section
illustrated
in fig. 20 shownin
layersare indicativeof the methodsReynoldsused to ultraviolet
light.
achieve particulareffectsof rich glaze-likepaint.
Two areas of the paintingespeciallywarrantcloser
attention,since they demonstratethe difficulty of RoyandBarbaraBerriein 1998.30Nonetheless, positive
discerning between restoration and original material analysesof thispigment are still
fairlyrareand depend
and showhowtheappearanceofthepaintsurfacecan on demonstrating that both tin and antimonyare
be extremely misleading. foundtogether withintheindividualparticlesin order
ThewaistcoatofLordHeathfield's uniform appears to differentiate
it fromNaplesyellow.In thiscase, the
discolouredand uneven,seemingly due to layersofyel- identification
of lead-tin-antimony yellowwithinthe
lowedvarnishand dirton thepaintsurface(see fig. 6). thickbrownglazeoverthewaistcoatstrongly suggests
Onewouldimaginethatitisintended toappearwhite,or thatthislayeris original,particularly sincethe same
closetowhite,incolourandthatcleaningtoremovethe pigment was also identifiedin theoriginalpaintof the
oldsurfacecoatingswouldreveala muchbrighter paint pale yellowsky at the horizon (fig. 22).31The cross-
surface.A cross-sectionfromthewaistcoatshowsthat sectionfromthispartofthepainting(fig.23) contains
thesurfaceis coveredwithan extremely thicktranslu- largerparticlesof thepigment, and thebackscattered
centbrownlayer(figs20 and 21). At firstglancethis electronimage (fig. 24) showsthe individualhighly
mightbe interpreted as old varnish,and it clearly scatteringparticlesof lead-tin-antimony oxidewithin
accounts forthe brown-yellow patches of material a glassymatrixofleadcalciumsilicatecomparable with
which have collectedin the textureof the paint. theliterature
examples.32
However, thislayeris pigmented, containing fineparti- Reynoldspresumably appliedthe thickglaze over
clesof vermilion,someblackand somelargerparticles thewaistcoatas thefinaltouchtothispartofthepaint-
of a pale lemon yellow colour. This pigmentwas ing,perhapswiththe intention of givingit a creamy
identifiedby energy-dispersive X-rayanalysisin the yellowtoneandtodistinguish thispassagevisuallyfrom
scanning electron microscope(SEM-EDX) as lead- thecoolerwhitebreeches.The noteshe recordedin his
tin-antimony yellow.At thisdate,it is morecommon ledgersdemonstrate thatthismethodof workingwas
to findNaplesyellow,the oxideof lead and antimony one he regularlyemployed. In one instancein 1769 he
withoutthe additionaltin,so thisfinding is unusual. describeshow a paintingwas finishedwith varnish
Lead-tin-antimony yellowwas first described byAshok alone (presumably thismeanswithoutoil) and yellow,

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 Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfleld A ChallengeforConservation
ofGibraltar:

fig. 23 NG 111, cross-section fromthepale yellowskyshowing

largeparticlesof lead-tin-antimony
yellow.

fig. 22 NG111, detailshowingthepale yellowpaintof thesky

at thehorizonbehindthecannon on theleftof thepicture.

fig. 24 NG 1 1 1, detailedbackscattered electronimagein the

SEM of thecross-section illustratedin fig. 23 showinglarge
particlesof lead-tin-antimony yellow.

'VernicioSolo / e giallo'.33In anotherexamplefrom Thesecondarea ofthepictureworthy ofdiscussion

1774 he recordsthata picturewas glazedwithvarnish is LordHeathfield'sredcoat.Thishas beenpaintedwith
and Naplesyellow,'...glazedwithVarnish& Giallodi vermilion tocreatethestrong,opaqueredcolourbutthe
Napoli'.34Althoughthemediumof the glaze on Lord shadowsof thefoldsappearto havebeenglazedwitha
Heathfield'swaistcoathas nowdarkenedsufficiently to rich red lake paint. However,a cross-section taken
the
give appearance of an old and discoloured
varnish, fromthebottomofthecoatin an area whereone might
thedocumentary evidenceand theidentificationofthe expectto finda redlake glazeshowsa ratherdifferent
pigments all pointtowardsthefactthattheglazewas layer structure.Above the vermilionthere is an
appliedbyReynoldsto createa specific effect.
Without extremely thick,translucentbrownlayer(fig. 25).
the aid of samplingand technicalstudyit would Thereis no evidenceof anyredlakepigment, as might
havebeenimpossible to resolvethestatusof thislayer, havebeen expectedin thispassage,and it is not clear
our
compromising understanding ofboththepainting's thata redlakeglazewas everapplied.The photomicro-
appearanceand its condition.This findingalso has graphof an unmountedfragment of thisupperlayer
seriousimplications forany cleaningtreatment of the (fig. 27) givesa betterindicationof the quantityof
picture,sinceitshowsthatat leastsomeof thebrown- pigment within the translucent brown matrix,
yellowmaterialon the surfaceis partof the original includinga littlePrussianblue,somebrown,blackand
paintingand was intentionally applied.It would be a fewred particles.The UV lightimageof the cross-
extremely difficult
to removejust the latervarnishes, section(fig.26) showsthatitis ratherinhomogeneous,
leavingin place the originalglaze,and it is doubtful withdifferent partsfluorescing to a differentdegree,
whetherany visualimprovement wouldbe gainedby suggesting thatseveraldifferentmaterialsare present.
theattempt. Thedistinct thinfluorescentlayersat theuppersurface

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RachelMorrison

usedin somepartsof thecoat,and largeparticlesof a

cochinealcarmine-type pigment similartothatfoundin
thebackground wereidentified in a nearbysamplefrom
thecoat tail,butit has beenused lessextensively than
one mightimaginefroma visual examinationof the
painting.The majorityof the colour of the coat is
providedby the vermilion,and the depthsof the
fig. 25 NG 111, cross-section
fromLordHeathfield's
redcoat shadows are builtup with translucent medium-rich
showingthevermilionunderlayer and a thickbrownish
layerscontainingrelatively littlepigment.A similar
glaze abovecontainingpigment.
technique has been used to create thedarkshadowon
Lord Heathfield's cuff.A small paint scrapingtaken
fromthisarea again consistedmainlyof translucent
varnish-likematerialwithparticlesof black,Prussian
blue and a littleredpigmentwithinthe medium-rich
matrix.In this case GC-MS analysisidentified heat-
bodiedlinseedoilwith,inaddition, bothmasticandpine
A cross-section
resin.36 oftheupperlayerwas alsotaken
froma nearbyarea and the photomicrograph of the
fig. 26 NG111, cross-section
illustrated
in fig. 25 shownin
ultraviolet
light.
unmountedfragment (fig. 28) shows the translucent
glaze,withparticlesof pigmentunevenlydistributed
probablycorrespondto the restorers'varnishes, thelayer.
through
thatthe thickbrownlayermusthave been
indicating The use of glaze layersof thistypeis evidently a
applied prior to these conservation treatments. factorinthedeterioration ofpaintings The
byReynolds.
Furthermore, the interfacebetweenthe underlying
darkening of the medium is bound to have a greater
vermilionpaintand theglazeis blurred.The layersare visual effectin a layer which contains very little
swirledtogetherwithparticlesof vermilion sweptup pigment,and mustinfluencethe appearanceof the
intothebrownlayerabove.It seemslikelythatthiswas
painting.Althoughit is difficult to separateout this
appliedbeforethe vermilionpaint had dried,which effectfromtheyellowing of subsequentvarnishlayers,
againsuggeststhatthisvarnish-likeapplicationis part inthiscase theuse ofmedium-rich glazesseemstohave
oftheoriginalpainting
techniqueemployed byReynolds contributedto the overall yellowedand ingrained
tocreatetheglaze-like
shadows.35
appearanceofthelayersoverthesurfaceoftheportrait
A smallquantityof redlakehas undoubtedly been ofLordHeathfield. In addition, manyofthefinalglazes
whichappearparticularly richin mediumseemto have
a greatertendency to formdryingcracks,forexample
the brownrockyforeground to the leftof the figure.
This passageis discussedabove,but a further sample
froma similararea of crackingshowsthe finalglaze
layerseven more distinctly. The brownrocks were
finishedwithseveralthinmedium-rich layers,contain-
ing a mixture of pigments, over the brightyellow
ochrepaint.In cross-section it is difficult
to gaugethe
quantityof pigment in theseglazesand againitmight
be possible to mistakethem for later retouching,
sinceheretheyare separatedbywhatappear
especially
to be intermediate varnishapplications. However,the
fig. 27 NG 111, photomicrograph of an unmountedfragment
of samplefromLordHeathfield'sredcoat.The sampleconsists photomicrograph of an unmounted fragment of these
onlyof thethickupperglaze layer. upperlayers,whichwas usedformediumanalysis,gives

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 Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfield
fig. 28 NG111, photomicrograph of an unmountedfragment
of glaze takenfromtheshadowof LordHeathfield's
sleeve,
showingthepigmentparticlesdispersedthrougha translucent
medium-rich matrix.
a betterindicationofthecomposition. The similarityof
thepigmentmixturewithinthetranslucent matrixto
that observedelsewhereon the paintingleaves little
doubtthat this is part of the originalpainting,and
once againReynoldshas appliedhis finaltouchesin a
medium-rich, varnish-like
paintcontaininga mixture of
heat-bodied linseedoilwithsomepineand masticresin.
WilliamMasoncomments on thisaspectof Reynolds's
techniqueafterseeinghim hastilyfinishhis painting
of theNativity, whichwas to be used forthedesignof
thewestwindowofNewCollegechapel,in timeforthe
openingoftheExhibition in 1777.
'I saw himat workuponit,eventheverydaybefore
and it grievedme to see him
it was to be sentthither;
layingloadsofcolourand varnishuponit,at thesame
timeprognosticating tomyself thatitwouldneverstand
thetestoftime,butthatitwould/
Further
aspectsofReynolds's
technique:
andpalette
pigments
RED
Two red pigmentswereemployedby Reynoldsin the
portraitof LordHeathfield.Vermilion was used forthe
red coat and throughout the picturein variouspaint
mixtures. LordHeathfield'sruddycomplexion suggests
thatvermilion was also used in thefleshpaintof the
face,althoughno samplewas takentoconfirm this.37
In
additiona redlakepigment was alsousedforsomeofthe
shadowson the coat and extensively in the original
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ofGibraltar:
A ChallengeforConservation
background paintof thesmoke-filled sky.The largered
lake particlesobservedin thispaintmixtureare one
of the distinguishing featureswhichdifferentiatethe
originalfromthe subsequentoverpaint.The dyestuff
was confirmed byhigh-performance liquidchromatog-
raphy(HPLC) analysisas cochineal;a resultwhichis
consistentwith previousanalysesof red lakes from
paintingsbyReynolds andfromthisperiodin general.38
Fouriertransform infrared(FTIR) microscopysuggested
that the individualpigmentparticleswere rich in
cochineal, since absorptionbands relatingto the
dyestuffitselfwereobserved insomespectra,suggesting
that the pigmentcould be interpreted as a carmine
ratherthan a more conventionalcochineal lake.39
Bands indicatingthe presenceof proteinwere also
observedin the spectrafromsome of the largepink
particlesand suggestthata sourceof proteinsuch as
eggwhiteor gelatinewas addedduringthepreparation
ofthepigment to aid precipitation.40
YELLOW
Two yellowpigments wereidentifiedin theportraitof
Lord Heathfield:a bright,intenselycolouredyellow
ochreand themoreunusuallead-tin-antimony yellow
alreadydiscussed.This pigmenthas not so farbeen
on anyof theotherpaintings
identified byReynolds in
the NationalGalleryCollection.It is not referredto
in anyofReynolds's
specifically notes,althoughNaples
yellowis mentioned. As discussed by AshokRoyand
Barbara Berrie,the terminology surrounding yellow
pigments is ratherconfusedand Reynoldsmayin fact
havepurchasedhislead-tin-antimony yellowunderthe
name of Naplesyellow.41He certainly wouldnothave
knowntheexactcomposition or indeedthedifference
betweenthispigment and thelead antimonatepigment
we now termNaples yellow.The NationalGallery's
portraitof Anne,2nd Countessof Albemarle(NG 1259)
also containslead-tin-antimony
interestingly yellow
in the upperlayerof fleshpaintfromthe shadowon
theCountess'sarm.In thiscase itwas notappliedin a
medium-rich glaze but was used in a more opaque,
pigment-richpaintlayer.In ColonelTarletonorpiment
has beenusedextensively in thecrumpledyellowfabric
inthegoldhighlights
on thefloor, ofTarleton
's uniform
and in the flag.The same pigmentis foundin the
goldenyellowdraperyin theportrait of LadyCockburn
and her ThreeEldest Sons. Orpimentis mentioned in
RachelMorrison

Reynolds's ledgersand the studiocanvasbelongingto of theuncoveredpaintsuggested thatin all likelihood

the RoyalAcademyof Artscontainsa coloursample a largeamountof retouching wouldthenhave been
inscribedas orpiment.
Theinscriptionalso suggests
that necessary.In addition,the presenceof a greatmany
Reynoldswas experimenting withapplyingtheyellow medium-rich glazesboundin a varnish-like mixture of
pigment in a varnishmedium, perhapstestingout a oil and resinmeantthattheremovalof therestorers'
similartechniquetothatemployed forLordHeathfield's varnishescouldnothavebeen accomplished safely.In
waistcoat.42 the end,verylittlerestoration workwas undertaken,
withonlysomecarefulretouching beingcarriedoutto
WHITE reducetheworstofthepatchyandblotchy appearance.
As wellas lead white,Reynolds
mayalso haveincorpo- Perhaps the most interesting result of thisworkis
rated other materialsinto his paint mixtures,for theincreasein our understanding of how thispicture
exampleintheupperlayersofpaintoverthepaleyellow was createdand the reasonsbehindthe deterioration
horizonon the leftof the picture.These layersnow in itscondition and appearance.Theuse ofcomplicated
havea rathertranslucent brownishappearanceon the applicationsof paintand the combination of oil and
surfaceofthepainting, presumablyduetothedarkened resinin certainpassages,possiblyformulated into a
paint medium, and again could be mistakenfor gelledmegilp medium, appears to be responsiblefor
discolouredvarnishlayers.In cross-section
the upper thedryingdefects, whichare so characteristic of many
whiteandpaleyellowlayersappearlessopaquethanthe the
paintingsby Reynolds.However, analyticalstudy
lowerlayersin thesampleand arelesshighlyscattering was notwithoutitscomplications. Thecharacterisation
in the backscatteredelectronSEM image, since a of theoriginalglazelayerswas especiallychallenging.
proportion ofan extendersuchas chalkmayhavebeen The difficulty of discerningvisuallybetweenlater
includedin thepigment mixture.43 varnish and originalmaterial,and the associated
problem oftrying toobtainsuitablesamplesformedium
BLUE
analysis without including eitherlatersurfacecoatings
The onlybluepigment to be identified
in thePortrait
of or underlying paint,makesthe interpretation of any
LordHeathfleldis Prussianblue;thishas beenshownby
analyticalresultsveryproblematic. Sincethematerials
EDX to containaluminiumand is therefore theearlier - heat-bodied
used byReynoldsin thisportrait linseed
formofthepigment. Reynolds refers
to Prussian blueas -
oilandresinssuchas pineandmastic areexactlythose
'turchino'in his ledgersand thepigmentis frequently
thatmightbe expectedin subsequently appliedvarnish
mentioned.44 It has beenused extensively in theback-
layers,theresultsof organicanalysisalonewillalways
ground and in many of thedarker glazelayersin areas be difficult to decipher.The conclusionthatmanyof
of shadow.Reynolds describes how,in placeofblack,a theglazelayersobservedon thesurfaceofthepainting
mixture ofPrussianblue,vermilion andyellowlakecan
are originalwas onlyreachedthrougha combination
be used,andindeedsimilarcombinations wereobserved
of carefulexamination of thesamples,identification of
in theportraitofLordHeathfield.45
the pigmentswithinthe translucentlayersand the
appearanceofthematerialin cross-section. In addition
Conclusion thelargebodyof documentary sourcesand anecdotal
storiesabout Sir JoshuaReynolds'sworkingmethods
The directresultof thisstudywas thedecisionnotto providesupportfortheseobservations. Onlybypiecing
clean theportrait of LordHeathfield. Althoughit may together all the information was it possibleto under-
havebeenpossiblepainstakingly toremovethelayersof stand fullythe complexity of the way in whichthe
overpaint fromthebackground, thecombination of oil paintingwas executedand theproblems thatwouldbe
andresindetected withinthemediumoftheunderlying involved inrestoring it.
originalpaintsuggested thatthiswas likely
tobevulner- Theportrait ofLordHeathfield, so muchadmiredin
ableto a cleaningtreatment. Furthermore, in thesmall itsday,has unfortunately suffered fromtheirreversible
cleaning testthatwas carried the
out, disruption ofthe effectsof Reynolds'sparticularpaintingtechniques.
originallayersand the huge variancein surfacegloss M. Constantde Massoul,whosetreatiseon the art of

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 A ChallengeforConservation
ofGibraltar:
Masticand Meglipin Reynolds'sLordHeathfleld

paintingwas publishedin Londonin 1797, onlyten 5 TheNationalGallery Conservation DossierforNG 111.

6 Analysesof organicmaterialswithinvarnishesand binding
yearsafterthe picturewas painted,cautionsagainst media reportedin this article were carried out by gas
justsuchmethods. chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).In thesampleofthe
uppermost varnishlayerseveralcomponents weredetectedwith
mass spectracontainingthe base peak m/z95, relatingto the
'ManyPaintersbothinGlazingandinPainting,
cyclohexanone monomer andindicating thata synthetic polycyclo-
makeuse ofvarnishmixedwithfatoil because hexanoneresinwaspresent. SeeE.R.de la RieandA.M.Shedrinsky,
then the Pictureappears brilliantand not The chemistry of ketoneresinsand thesynthesis of a derivative
with increasedstabilityand flexibility', Studiesin Conservation,
imbibed. vol.34, 1989, pp.9-19.
Thismethod,so pleasing,and therefore
so 7 Obtaining a sampleforGC-MSanalysisofonlythelayerofvarnish
appliedin 1867 wasextremely difficult.Microscopic examination of
seducingin practice,may,without doubt,be
thesampleusedfororganicanalysisindicated thatsomepigment
useful;butthenitoughttobeusedwithprecau- particleswerealso present, suggesting thatsomeoriginalmaterial
mayhavebeenincluded. Themicrocrystalline waxwasidentified by
thechangethat
tion.To thismaybe attributed
thepattern ofbothevenandoddnumbered hydrocarbons detected
the Pictures of the celebratedSir Joshua intheGC-MSchromatogram.
8 H. Ruhemann, ' The Problems andPotentialities',
Reynolds haveundergone.'46 Cleaning ofPaintings.
London1968, Appendix C,p. 317.
9 W. Cotton(ed.), 'Rev.W. Mason's observations on Sir Joshua's
methodofcolouring', in SirJoshua Reynolds' NotesandObservations
onPictures, London1859, p. 51.
Acknowledgements 10 M. Cormack, transcriber, The ledgersof SirJoshuaReynolds', The
WalpoleSociety, 1968-70, Vol.XLII,p. 168, folio178 r. 'Oct.2,
I wouldliketo thankAshokRoyforthepreparation of 1772. MissR (cancelled)Churchmar (cancelled),"Kirk"substitut-
ed GumDr. et Whiting/ poi ceratapoi / ovata poi verniciatae
fromthe portraitof LordHeathfield
the cross-sections retoccata/cracks.'Translated thisisas follows:
literally, Gumtraga-
whichhavebeen so vitalto thispaper.In
of Gibraltar, canthand whitingthenwaxedtheneggedthenvarnishedand
retouched cracks.
addition,his previousworkon the otherpaintingsby 11 http://www.npg.org.uk/research/programmes/directory-of-
Reynoldsin the NationalGalleryCollection,and the british-picture-restorers.php. See also KirbyTalley1986 (citedin
note3), p. 68.
technicalnoteshe compiledforJudyEgerton'sBritish 12 A sampleof the whitefillwas analysedwithFouriertransform
School catalogue,have been mostuseful.I am very infrared(FTIR)microscopy, whichidentified chalk.
13 Prussianbluewas identified byFTIRmicroscopy.
gratefulto Marika Spring and Helen Howard for 14 Starchwasidentified inoverpaint samplescontaining Prussianblue
carryingout the SEM-EDX analysis and for the byFTIRmicroscopy.
ofthelead-tin-antimony
identification 15 J.Kirbyand D. Saunders,'Fadingand ColourChangeof Prussian
yellow. and the Influenceof Extenders',
Blue: Methodsof Manufacture
I wouldalso liketo thankJoKirbyforinvaluable NationalGallery TechnicalBulletin, 25, 2004, pp.73-99.
adviceabout documentary sourcesand manyhelpful 16 W.T.Whitley, Artistsandtheir FriendsinEngland 1700-1 799,Vol.2,
LondonandBoston,1928, p. 282.
discussionsaboutredlakepigments. Mythanksmustgo 17 Cormack1970 (citedin note 10), p. 141, folio52 v. An entry
too to MartinWyld,who carriedout theconservation datingfrom1767 recordsthematerials usedforspecific paintings
andreads'MissCholmondley conolioe Vernicio dicera.poi/verni-
treatment of thepainting,and SatokoTanimotoof the ciulo con yeos(?) lake e magilp.'Similarly in the same yearthe
BritishMuseum,forthe Raman analysisof the lead- nextentryis as follows'LordTownsend. primacon magp.poiOlio,
poiMag./Senzaolio.Lacca.poiVerniciata conVirmilion.'
tin-antimony
yellow. J.H.Townsend, L. Carlyle,A. Burnstock, M. Odlyhaand JJ.Boon,
'Nineteenth-century paintmedia:The formulation and properties
of megilps',in Painting Techniques: History, Materialsand Studio
Practice,Contributions to theDublinUC Congress, 7-11 September
Notes 1998, A. Royand P. Smith(eds),London1998, pp. 205-10; L.
Carlyle,TheArtist's Assistant,London2001, pp.101-6 andpassim.
18 Cormack1970 (cited in note 10), p. 141, folio 52 v. FTIR
1 J.Egerton, NationalGallery TheBritish
Catalogues: SchoolLondon
microscopy identifiedleadsoapsin theplum-coloured background
1998, pp. 228-33; see also D. Mannings,SirJoshuaReynolds: a
New Havenand London2000, paint,butonlya smallamountof lead whitewas includedin the
completecatalogueofhispaintings,
pigmentmixtureand no otherlead-containing pigmentswere
Vol.1,pp.180-1. evident.Thismayindicatethatin thiscase a leadedoil was used
2 SirThomasLawrencewas so impressed bytheportrait, admiring it
incombination withthemasticvarnish, perhapsformulating a true
as 'thebestofSirJoshua'spicturesofmen',thathe purchaseditto
gelledmegilp.
serveas a modelforhisownworks.See Egerton1990 (citedinnote
19 Cormack1970 (citedin note10), p. 141, folio53 r.'Glazingsenza
1), pp.231-2. ofMasti.- solo',literally oil,varnish
olio/vernich. glazingwithout
3 M. KirbyTalley,Jr,"Allgoodpicturescrack"SirJoshuaReynolds's
ofmasticalone.
practiceand studio'in N. Penny(ed.), Reynolds,exh. cat.,Royal
20 GC-MS analysisidentified a tracequantityof masticresin,just
Academy ofArts,London1986, pp.55-70.
detectablewithinthe sample,but giventhe small quantityit
4 K. Cave(ed.),TheDiaryofJoseph Vol.IX,NewHavenand
Farington, seemsmostlikelythatthisis relatedto tracesof the overlying
London1982, p. 3483.
plum-coloured layerwhichwerealso includedand werevisible

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RachelMorrison

uponmicroscopic examination of thesamplebeforeanalysis.This antimony yellow, see C. SandalinasandS. Ruiz-Moreno, 'Lead-Tin-

highlights the difficultyof samplingseparatelayersof paintfor Antimony Yellow',Studies inConservation, 49, 2004, pp.41-52.
analysisbyGC-MSwithout contamination. However, thedifference 33 Cormack1970 (citedin note10), p. 142, folio53 r.'Primain olio
in the ratioof the azelateand suberatediacidsdetectedin this ultimacon Vernicio Solo /e giallo',literallyfirstin oil finally
with
samplecompared tothatforthesampleoftheplum-coloured layer varnishaloneandyellow.
demonstrates thatthereis a cleardifference in bindingmedia,and 34 Cormack1970 (citedinnote10),p. 168,folio178 r.'...glazedwith
thattheoil usedforthelowerbluelayersofpaintwas notheated Varnish & GiallodiNapoli',literally glazedwithvarnishandNaples
tothicken itbefore use. vellow.
2 1 Prussianbluewasidentified byFTIRmicroscopy ina scraping taken 35 Unfortunately themediumofthislayerremainsa littleambiguous.
from thesurfacelayersinthisarea. GC-MS analysis detectedheat-bodiedlinseed oil, but only
22 I am verygrateful to VarianInc. forallowingthe use of their small amountsof masticand pine resin were observed.The
ATR-FTIRimagingmicroscope duringa demonstration visit. chromatogram alsocontained severalunidentified peaks,withbase
23 J.Millsand R. White,Analysesof PaintMedia',NationalGallery peakm/z236, suggesting thatan additional unknowncomponent
Technical Bulletin, 1, 1977, pp.57-9. mayalsobe present.
24 Tracequantitiesof themethyl esterof copalicacid werealso just 36 This area was locallycleaned withxyleneand isopropanolto
detectablein the GC-MS chromatogram of this sample.This removeas muchas possibleofthelatervarnishes priortosampling.
suggests thata leguminosae resin,suchas cobaibabalsam,mayalso In additiontheuppermost surfaceof theglazelayerwas removed
be present in tinyquantities. However, thisis clearlynotthemajor mechanicallybeforetakingthe sample formediumanalysis.
constituent withinthe paint analysedin this sample.Further Nonetheless itwas extremely difficult to determine bymicroscopic
analysisof othersamplesfromthispaintingmay indeedshow examinationwhethersome varnish had inadvertently been
thatdifferent diterpenoid resinshave been employed in different includedin thesample.However, theappearanceof thepigment
passagesofthepainting. particlesandtheidentification ofPrussianbluebyFTIRmicroscopy
25 R. Jones,J.H.Townsendand J.J. Boon,A technicalassessment of implythat the majorityof the materialis an originalglaze.
eightportraitsby Reynoldsbeing consideredforconservation Therefore theGC-MSresultscan be interpreted as indicating that
treatment', ICOM-CC12thTriennial Conference, Lyon,29 August - thebindingmediumof theoriginalglazelayercontainspineand
3 September 1999, Preprints. Vol.1,J.Bridgland(ed.),Jamesand masticresinas wellas heat-bodied linseedoil.
James, London1999, pp.375-80. 37 Kirby Talley1986 (citedin note3) suggests a dateof 1759, based
26 R. Jones,'SirJoshuaReynolds (1723-1792). TheAgeofInnocence on Mason'stestimony ofReynolds's technique, forwhenReynolds
c.l 788', and 'SirJoshuaReynolds(1723-1792). George IV when startedtouse vermilion. BythedateoftheLordHeathfield portrait
Princeof Wales 1785', both in Paintand Purpose:A Studyof he had clearlygivenup relying entirely on 'carmine'forthepink
Technique inBritish Art,S. Hackney, R. JonesandJ.Townsend (eds), tintrequired forfleshpaint.
Tate GalleryPublishing, London 1999, pp. 60-5 and 146-51 38 J.Kirby, M. Springand C. Higgitt, 'The technology of eighteenth-
respectively. Cross-section samples fromboth these paintings and nineteenth-century red lake pigments',NationalGallery
displayfluorescent paintlayerswhenviewedunderultraviolet light TechnicalBulletin,28, 2007, pp.69-95.
and,in TheAgeofInnocence particularly, medium-rich translucent- 39 See Kirby,Springand Higgitt, 2007 (citedinnote38), pp.74-5 for
lookinglayers.However,in thesepaintingsbeeswaxis a major a discussionof theterminology surrounding cochineallakesand
partofthepaintmediumand is perhapsresponsible forthemilky carminepigments.
fluorescence. Beeswaxwas not identified in the portrait of Lord 40 The presenceof proteinwithinthecochineal-containing redlake
Heathfield. pigment foundin theportrait ofLordHeathfield is discussedmore
2 7 GC-MSanalysisof samplesfromtheportrait ofLadyCockburn and fullyin Kirby, Springand Higgitt, 2007 (citedin note 38), p. 75.
herThreeEldestSons (NG 2077) was carriedout in 1986. See Examplesofrecipesincluding a sourceofproteinare givenin this
Egerton1998 (citedin note1), p. 210, and J.Millsand R. White, pp.94-5.
article,
Analysesof Paint Media', NationalGalleryTechnicalBulletin, 41 RoyandBerrie,1998 (citedinnote30), p. 160-1.
11, 1987, pp.92-5. 42 H. Dubois,'"Use a littlewax withyourcolours,but don't tell
28 Jones, Townsend andBoon,1999 (citedinnote25) p. 380. anybody"JoshuaReynolds's paintingexperiments withwax and
29 Cormack1970 (citedinnote10). his sources',HamiltonKerrInstitute BulletinNumber3, 2000,
30 A. Royand B. Berrie,A newlead-basedyellowin theseventeenth pp97-106, esp.p. 99. Oneoftheinscriptions written on theRoyal
century',in PaintingTechniques: History,Materialsand Studio Academyof ArtsPanel,StudioExperiments in Colourand Media,
Practice, Contributions to theDublinI1C Congress, 7-1 1 September reads'Orp.whiteY withtheVarn.'literally orpiment, white,yellow
1998, A. Royand P. Smith(eds),London1998, pp. 160-5. The withthevarnish.
authorscharacterised thepigment as theternary oxideoflead,tin 43 BarbaraBuckleynotedthatthefleshpaintofLadyAmabel'schest
and antimony witha cubicpyrochlore structure andidentified itin in theportrait of TheLadiesAmabel andMaryJemima Yorke,in the
severalseventeenth-century Italian pictures,postulatinga link ClevelandMuseumof Art,containedchalk in additionto lead
betweenitsmanufacture andRome.Morerecently thepigment has white.See B. Buckley,'Sir JoshuaReynolds,TheLadiesAmabel
beenidentified on a number ofeighteenth- andnineteenth-century andMaryJemima Yorke, TheBulletin ofTheCleveland Museum ofArt,
worksand itis clearthatuse ofthepigment, althoughitmayhave vol73, number9, November 1986, pp.350-71.
started inRome,spreadbeyondItalyintheseventeenth century. See 44 KirbyTally1986 (citedin note3), pp. 64-5. The authorlinksthe
D Hradil,T. Grygar, J.Hradilova,P. Bezdicka,V. Grunwaldova, I. term'turchino' withthepigment Prussianblue.
Fogasand C. Miliani,'Microanalytical identification of Pb-Sb-Sn 45 Cormack1970 (citedinnote10),p. 141,folio53 r.'July 29th1768
yellowpigment in historicalEuropeanpaintings and itsdifferentia- - in vecedi nero.Si puo serviredi /Turchinoe cinabro- e Lacca
tionfrom leadtinandNaplesyellow', Journal ofCultural Heritage, 8, in place of blackone can use Prussianblue and
Giallo',literally,
2007, pp. 377-86. vermilion andyellowlake.
31 Lead-tin-antimony yellowwas identified in thissampleby SEM- 46 M. Constantde Massoul,A treatise on theartofpainting and the
EDX analysisandRamanspectroscopy. composition of colourscontaining instructions forall theprocesses of
32 The backscattered electronimageshownin fig. 24 was acquired painting.Together withobservations uponthequalities andingredients
usingthescanningelectron microscope at theBritish Museum.For of colours, London1797, translated fromtheFrench,printedby
furtherdiscussionsof the particlecharacteristics of lead-tin- T.Baylis,pp.24-5.

128 | NATIONALGALLERYTECHNICAL BULLETIN VOLUME 31

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