William Gear, R.A.

Redfern Gallery, London, where acquired by the present owners

London, Royal Academy of Arts, Summer Exhibition, 1997, cat. no.33.

The following condition report has been kindly prepared by Toby Jacobs, of John Jacobs Studio, 240 Webheath Workshops, Netherwood Street, London, NW6 2JX. Original canvas. The painting is in a reasonably stable condition. There are areas of strong cracking but the paint is not yet detaching from the canvas. There are areas of smaller cracking and crumbling of the paint, particularly around the edges, which will soon need some attention. The painting has not been strained onto the stretcher correctly. The painting has been turned over too much on the bottom edge causing more cracking and there is too much of a gap on the top and sides. Finally, there are some minor paint losses, again mainly in the crumbling paint areas. Recommended Treatment: In order to consolidate the paint, level and stabilise the strong cracking the painting would need to be lined. This would be transparent allowing the inscription on the back to remain visible. Then the picture would be restrained correctly onto the stretcher and the losses restored. This would help bring the picture back to its original condition and conserve it. Ultraviolet light reveals no obvious signs of fluorescence or retouching. Housed in a thin, dark wood frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
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