PORTRAIT RESTORATION – REVEREND JOHN OSBOURNE
In August 2024 we saw the return of the portrait of Reverend John Osbourne, who was Patron of the Incorporated Trades in 1728. The portrait had been with fine art restorer Frank McLuskie who is based in Edinburgh.
The painting was taken from Trinity Hall in March and the extent of work required was considerably more than expected. Work consisted of cleaning and repairing historic damage – the area of the left eye, nose and side of the head was in particular need of repair. Paint was also flaking in the remaining parts of the portrait and the original canvas had been backed by two further fabrics which had been glued to the original portrait. This took some considerable effort to remove and clean.
The first picture shows the unusual repair that was previously carried out .You can see the stark difference with the portrait afterwards
This is the latest in a series of portraits being restored by Frank McLuskie.
