A 16th century painting has returned to Orsdall Hall after a recent restoration uncovered previous drafts of the piece.
The painting ‘Our Lady’, which dates back to about 1590, had to be repaired as one of the wood panels holding the back of the painting together had given way.
Reportedly, the restoration had been a “complicated” process as there was a natural curve in all panels which gave the painting “a convex appearance.” In addition to many layers of varnish, the work had not been fully cleaned since the 1950s.
Our painting, the ‘Lady’ at Ordsall Hall, was restored recently.
Please read this article to learn more about this exciting piece and what they discovered while restoring her!https://t.co/EderguGS3u pic.twitter.com/gAoYI2Fuun
— Ordsall Hall (@OrdsallHall) January 3, 2024
After the painting had been restored it was then “x-rayed, looked at through infrared light and appraised by a costume specialist.”
The x-ray revealed that the artist originally painted the woman (the sitter) with a long string of pearls around her neck.
The reason why the pearls didn’t appear in the final portrait is unknown, although this does account for the “strange” position of her right hand which should have been holding the pearls.
The infrared image also showed that the lady’s headdress loops all the way around her head, not just the top where it is visible.
Salford Museum & Art Gallery bought the painting in 1958 at the auction of Abney Hall, Cheshire. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Abney Hall in 1857, at the time of the Manchester ‘Art Treasures Exhibition’.
There was speculation at the time that a number of the paintings at Abney were ‘touched up’, including our ‘Court Lady’, to make them more presentable to the royal couple during their visit.
There has further been much speculation as to who the woman sitting in the painting actually was. Some believe it to be Margaret Radcliffe of Ordsall Hall (1575–1599) who was a maid of honour to Elizabeth I. Another rumour says it is Margaret Radcliffe in the painting. However according to Ordsall Hall: “there is no evidence to support this.”
The restoration was made possible thanks to a generous donation from North West developer ForLiving.
To find out more about the restoration click here.
Text cited: ‘The restoration of a ‘Lady’ at Ordsall Hall in Salford, by Peter Ogilivie
Featured image taken/ owned by Peter McDermott.
Recent Comments