WL Wyllie’s Panorama

Valentine also underakes large insitu projects for example, the removal, lining and hanging of a curved panorama for the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth. The painting measured 12 ft x 42 ft.

The painting’s hanging mechanism was beginning to fail and the paint was cracking and flaking off. The whole surface was covered in a thick yellow varnish layer. The images below show the transformation of the panorama.

The image below shows the panorama partially cleaned. After cleaning, the painting was faced and rolled onto a cylinder for transportation to IFACS for lining. This required the ingenuity of an engineer to make a floor track and then a cradle for the cylinder and then a crane to lift it into the IFACS studio.

Once supported by a new lining canvas the panorama was placed back in the Museum on a new mechanism which reduces the uneven strain on the canvas. Finally the paint losses were filled and the painting was restored using reversible paint medium and then varnished using a conservation grade varnish.

Please click here for more information from the Royal Naval Museum’s website.