How Do You Restore a 600-Year-Old Painting? Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of a Man

 
Portrait of a Man by Jan van Eyk was painted in 1433, and it is believed to be a self-portrait.  If that is the case, then van Eyk would probably reject the idea of the filters we use on our everyday snaps – his painting is unsparing to say the least, stubble, wrinkles and bloodshot eyes all infer that Jan was probably not a vain man.  But the execution is exquisite – no wonder, then, that it has been prized for so long.

It is staggering, sometimes, to look at an old painting and come to the realisation that it is over 600 years old.  The very fact that it still exists is a triumph not only over time, but with the social changes it brings with it – so much stuff ends up in bins because it is out of fashion, but wait a few decades and it would probably bounce right back into our hearts and minds.  Then, of course, there are things like war, which make the likelihood of something surviving for so long even slimmer. 

Then there is the introduction of tobacco, the smoke from which has covered many a fine piece of art with a layer of dirt that is very difficult for an “amateur” to successfully remove.  Finally, there is the attempts at restoration – or even the decision to add elements to a painting – which often make things worse rather than better.  The infamous example of Ecce Homo (look it up!) serves as a warning to the well-meaning but effectively inept hand of the untrained.  Thank goodness, then, that there are people like conservator Jill Dunkerton, who works for The National Gallery in London.  Here, she takes us through the processes involved in restoring and conserving Jan van Eyk’s sublime Portrait of a Man (the painting has resided at The National since 1851). Watch the fascinating video below.