When a digital portrait is showing a little too much "character," a few virtual brushstrokes can make it blemish free. But when the medium is canvas and oil and the problem isn't "character," but rather dirt and grime, the process is a wee bit more involved.

Guest blogger and Historic Hudson Valley curatorial intern Valaer van Roijen reports this week about a successful painting restoration project. It's kind of like analog Photoshop. You can see the before, above, and the painting as it hangs at Van Cortlandt Manor.

And now, Valaer...

Thanks to a grant from Greater Hudson Heritage Network, Historic Hudson Valley's portrait of Gertrude Van Cortlandt Beekman has been restored to match the sitter's youthful beauty.

Modern folks seem to always be trying to maintain youth or turn back the clock, and women of the 18^th century were no exception. At the apex of youth, often the age of marriage, it was common for young women of wealthy families to sit for their portrait.

One such portrait, recently donated to Historic Hudson Valley, features a raven-haired beauty thought to be Gertrude Van Cortlandt Beekman, the aunt of Pierre Van Cortlandt, patriarch of the Van Cortlandt Manor. Thanks to this portrait, Mrs. Beekman (1687-1777) has appeared for more than 300 years as she did at the youthful age of thirty. However, due to the travails of time, the true age of the painting has begun to show.

The painting arrived at Historic Hudson Valley headquarters buried under layers of dirt and mold. Cracks and even one large gash covered the painting's surface. The 18^th-century frame in which it was contained had also suffered considerable losses. While Gertrude peered out of the painting with a youthful glow, the state of its condition spoke to its considerable age.

After outlining a plan of attack, restorers set to work reviving both centuries-old relics. Conservator Sean Digney-Peer from the Metropolitan Museum of Art set to work on the canvas while Marylou Davis tackled the frame. After nearly 70 hours of work repairing both structural and superficial damage and removing surface dirt and mold, both the painting and its frame can once again be seen in a state of renewed youth.

Through the generosity of Greater Hudson Heritage Network and hard work of restorers, Gertrude has, in a way, found the fountain of youth. Her portrait now hangs in the family home, Van Cortlandt Manor, with renewed clarity and accuracy. Now, modern day visitors can see the portrait as if they were viewing it at the time of its creation.

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written by Anne Goslin, August 17, 2009 @ 08:04 PM

Like this, Valear! Never added up the hours, what a worthy lot!

thank you
written by Judy Kahn, August 05, 2009 @ 02:48 PM

Thank you to the restorers! I am a former resident of Sleepy Hollow and still appreciate the history of the area.

Fountain of Youth
written by Elizabeth, July 26, 2009 @ 10:47 AM

THANKS for conserving this important part of New York history! This woman looks very mysterious and beautiful. I can't wait to see this new portrait at my favorite museum, Van Cortlandt Manor.

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