The Erie Canal's First Boat

Title: The Erie Canal's First Boat Size: 46½ x 51 7/8" Location: South wall Support: Linen Ground: Gray Paint Film:    Lean vehicular oil thinly applied Surface Coating: A very thin surface film has been applied Adhesive: White lead

The Erie Canal's First Boat

Defects:

Cracking in the plaster wall splits the support and paint. This crack extends through the center of the painting on a diagonal line. Plaster has pulled away with the fabric. The fabric is extremely brittle. Enamel paint covers the edges. The blue border outline is readily soluble in distilled water. The crack has left the painting in two slightly different dimensional planes.

Recommendations for Treatment

• Remove the grime layer with a mild chelating agent rinsed with distilled water.
• Fill gap in plaster and bring up to surface plane as much as possible
• Consolidate fabric around crack, fill missing plaster up to level, remove old plaster and re-attach detached fabric.
• Re-attach separations at the edges and corners using an appropriate adhesive
• Fill areas of loss
• Inpaint gap in plaster crack and other damages as needed
• Apply protective surface coating.