The Deposition – inspection, making a plan

The painting is examined in oblique light to show surface detail.

Among other things you can see two of the holes made by carpet tacks used to keep the canvas attached to the wooden stretcher behind it, and bulges where the painted canvas is coming away from the canvas lining.

The basic order of doing things was

• – To preserve the painted surface while freeing the canvas from the wooden framework (stretcher) behind it.

• – To separate the rotted supporting canvas from the canvas on which the picture was painted and to mount the painting on a new support (re-line the painting).

• – To clean the painting.

• – To repair (fill) the places where the surface of the painting was lost.

• – To restore the frame.

Removing the carpet tacks