Overview
For over three generations the Boyd family have contributed to the Australian arts in the fields of painting, sculpture, pottery, ceramics, literature, architecture, poetry and music.
Penleigh Boyd (1890-1923) was well-known for his landscape paintings, which skilfully capture the transient effects of light. He often painted en plein air and was particularly influenced by the work of J. M. W. Turner, and fellow Australian artists Frederick McCubbin and E. Phillips Fox.
Port Hacking from Moombara captures this area of Southern Sydney as it would have been in the early 1920s. Painted using oils on canvas, it was then fitted into an ornate, bronze patinated frame.
Condition
Over the years, the paint layer and primer had cracked extensively as a result of rapid changes in temperature and humidity. This left a network of fine lines across the surface, as well as blanching, losses and lifting of the paint layer. Upon arrival at ICS, a small tear and dent were also found in the lower right side of the canvas.
The frame was also in poor condition, with losses to the moulding and a piece of ornamentation missing.
Treatment
To address the issues affecting both the painting and the frame, an extensive and thorough treatment was carried out, which included:
Overview ICS won the 2022 NSW National Trust “Conservation – Interiors and Objects” Award for this project, with its submission titled “The Discovery of an Old Master Panel Painting Masquerading as a 19th Century Copy”. The discovery of this artwork made headlines around the world. The still life painting originally belonged to the National Trust’s Woodford Academy collection. Its provenance...
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