Restoration of an icon: Mandilion (representation of the Holy Cloth by Saint Veronica),

Russian, XIXth century, oil on wood.

View during the cleaning process: the left half of the picture has been cleaned. The oil based varnish called “Olifa” has turned dark by natural aging in addition to the deposits of soot and airborne pollution. The edges are partially torn away by the removal of the oclad (metal added frame).

After restoration: original colour contrast has been re-established. As this was probably the first cleaning of the painting, all the fine details, such as hair, which are usually erased by inappropriate cleaning methods, were still perfectly conserved.

The only permanent alteration is the gilded background which is oil based. This aging is irreversible.