• Friedrich Elias Montanus (born 1835) was originally from Heddersdorf in Prussia, but moved to Chur, Switzerland in 1879 where he ran a photo studio and later worked as a painter.

• The painting was bought by the current owner’s grandmother, a member of the Red Cross, after World War II in Chur, Switzerland. She brought the painting to Venezuela where it stayed for 60 years. After the discovery a bug infestation and water damage, the painting was given to its current owner, a family member living in Delaware, USA.

• An insect infestation hollowed out the original stretcher bars.

• The canvas is brittle. Insects damaged the canvas, resulting in losses of the canvas along the lower and Proper Left (PL) turnover edges.

  • There are also two puncture holes.

• The painting has suffered water damage, which has solubilized the ground in some areas. The contact with moisture has resulted in lifted paint and paint loss.

• The painting has multiple, unevenly applied coatings, a tenacious dirt and grime layer, and has been selectively cleaned.

  • At first, I was not sure what was causing the discoloration, but after testing, the dirt/grime layer and not the coatings was the culprit.

• The painting was immediately treated for pests upon arrival at the Winterthur Museum. The painting was placed in a carbon dioxide (CO2) chamber with a 60% CO2 concentration for a 21-day cycle.

• Lifting and lost paint was consolidated using BEVA 371b, chosen for its flexibility and because it can be delivered in an organic solvent.

• The discolored layer of grime is being removed using a Pemulen TR-2 gel (pH 8.0, 2% EDTA + NaOH (chelator + counter ion), 1% TWEEN (surfactant) (advised by Mary McGinn).

  • This cleaning solution effectively dissolves the discolored grime layer and leaves the other surface coatings intact. The other coatings do not distort the tonality of the image and do not need to be removed.

  • It is being cleared using pH adjusted water (8.0) followed by Shellsol D38.

• The structural repairs of the losses in the canvas are being used as an opportunity for me to learn various techniques.

  • To prepare the lower turnover edge for tear repair, a temporary wooden cross bar was cut to size and installed a few inches above the lower stretcher member. The lower stretcher member was then removed. The lower turnover edge was humidified and flattened using deionized water and placed under weights with blotter.

  • The largest tear is being thread-by-thread tear mended (the technique was taught to me by Diana Hartman).

  • (Upcoming treatment steps) The other losses may be mended using Japanese tissue and “BEVA band-aids.”

• After the structural repairs are complete, the painting will be removed from its stretcher and either edge-lined or fully lined depending on whether the brittle canvas is able to handle being re-stretched without being fully supported by a lining.

• A custom stretcher bar will be ordered. The painting will then be stretched on the new stretcher bar.

• Paint losses will be filled likely with Modostuc or Flugger (proprietary calcium carbonate-based fill materials.

• The losses will be inpainted, likely with Gamblin Conservation Colors (an aldehyde resin-based paint system).

o This project gave me the opportunity to practice and learn multiple structural treatments for tears.