Is this Antoine ? Restoring the Count Part 2

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In this episode we test the painting and clean the portrait. We are able to remove a very discolured varnish that reveals some past restoration work. Our repair work is also filled and retouched. We look into the history of the painting and the artist and try and work out who we think it is and who it may have been painted by. Is it Count Antoine Hamilton? or is someone else in play ? I do my best to try and narrow it down.
Equipment:
Iphone 14pro
Yeti Blue Mic
Edited with Adobe Premiere
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ABOUT Bloomfield Art Restoration Is an unlimited series exploring the art restoration of oil paintings, period history, and artists lives.
ABOUT Bloomfield Art & James Bloomfield Bloomfield Art specialise in all aspects of art restoration, oil easel painting restoration and fine art conservation. We offer fine art restoration and picture cleaning services across the North West of England, We also offer a National Painting Restoration service. Bloomfield Art is an associate member of the British Association of Paintings Conservators - Restorer's (BAPCR) . We have a selection of quality antique oils for sale please vivit our website to see our current stock, we offer free international shipping:
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We have completed art restoration work on behalf of Christies London, National Gallery Ireland, the NHS, local authorities, schools, churches and historic houses. We have also worked on paintings by Sir Terry Frost, Ambrose McAvoy, Mary Fedden, Kyffin Williams, Robert Lenkowiez, Helen Bradley, L.S Lowry, R.R. Reinagle, J.Hoppner, W.Sant and many more. James Bloomfield is an accredited Art Restorer and Artist and has worked on 1000's of oil paintings. He was selected for the prestigious John Moores painting prize in 2012 and has his artwork in museum collections in the UK. He lives and works in Manchester England.

[@inamerica_]

So amazing that we are looking at this man 300 years after he was painted.

[@billseymour-jones3224]

It is utterly fascinating to see how different restorers tackle the issues of dirt and varnish removal. No criticism of any procedures intended, just a simple observation.

[@mascambios]

It really is. I guess though the main thing is that the painting is treated with care, which the restorers I watch all seem to do and are generally very sympathetic in their approach. I think you also have to take into account what the painting is, it's value and the budget of the client. Not every piece of art is going to receive a museum level restoration but they should all be treated with respect.

[@jugheadjones5458]

And a good observation because no matter which procedure is used they all come out looking great.

[@maryjones5710]

He looks like a much more delicate, vulnerable chap after cleaning. The nose as an identifier can't be ignored. I think you have restored the man and name.

[@jaydee9124]

Whoever painted the portrait did wonderful work on the face and wig.

[@whytedraegon66]

he looks really quite sad now it started looking sultry but the pain in the eyes is quite breathtaking now you can see it

[@nickimontie]

The revelation of the eyes and the small details is so satisfying.

[@kh7794]

Maybe I haven't seen enough, but to my memory this is the first painting this old that shows 'a 4 o'clock shadow' as we call it. He'd be really in style today! Lol

[@melodymacken9788]

Thought the same 😅

[@cherryllcooper679]

Love a long format video on a Sunday! It’s my birthday as well, going to make a cup of tea and settle in.

[@grannieannie1371]

Happy Birthday

[@PINTandDALE]

Such a dramatic transition! A very satisfying restoration. Loved the shots through the loupe!

[@susansouthern6704]

Fantastic job..love the light and life you put into him

[@NikhilKumaranayagam]

I think it's the Hamilton chap. If you look at his right eyebrow, the one in the foreground, it's relatively straight, widening steadily to a fairly blunt end at the bridge of the nose. That looks like the engravings of Hamilton. The Comte de Gramont person has arched eyebrows. I'm no portrait painter but I think that's a distinguishing feature that a portrait painter would get right.

[@Eurydice870]

Court gossip eh? Some things never change. His face says he suffered a deep loss, perhaps his mother? What an extraordinary portrait. Thank you for sharing your work. ❤

[@darlene2662]

Well done. I’ve enjoyed that. Just a thought have you thought of walking us home a ways after your days work. Love to see the environment as well. 👏🏼👏🏼🎶😊 35:13

[@ginkellum178]

Peeling that varnish... so satisfying! So much cleaner without the varnish layer.

[@ElizabethBarber-tu9ey]

I so enjoy watching the paintings come back into their own! Beautiful.

[@victorg2217]

I am going to start studying art restoration in a few months, and your videos are teaching me so much. Thank you so much for sharing your fascinating work! It's a great pleasure to watch such an amazingly skilled restorer like you

[@catgirl_works]

I really appreciated that you explained exactly what you were testing for with your small test patches in the beginning of the video. I feel a bit silly for not realizing it until now, but none of the restoration channels on youtube have ever explained that they were making sure none of the paint layer was removed. You always point out these little things in such a natural way, which is something I really like about your videos

[@zoinomiko]

I've definitely heard a number of restorers speak to it, but I loved the details we get in this video and the glimpse through the loupe!

[@megwolff58]

A stunning portrait and a beautiful result. You must have enjoyed every minute of working on it! It's so good it's very tempting to say it is a Lely. I hope your client can get it assessed.

[@Garden366]

I agree. Lely’s treatment of the male nose seems distinct and you can see this same treatment in this nose.

[@sus8e462]

He, and the restoration, is gorgeous! Definitely more resemblance to Grammont vs Antoine, but so glad the artist must have liked him--or the paycheck 😉--to create such a wonderful representation of the sitter!

[@Garden366]

What a beautiful portrait and what an incredible restoration! Thank you for sharing the artist’s work and yours as well!

[@cs3742]

Love the historical background!

[@jaycorwin1625]

Beautiful painting. I enjoyed watching you work your magic on that canvas.

[@calypzo69]

My MA is in English Lit. 18th Century and Restoration Satire. It's called the long 18th Century for a reason. King Charlie and Mr. Johnny were an interesting duo. I loved every bit of the century. You have to have a great sense of humor, understand satire and have an open mind. Good luck, people. 😉🫣

[@jugheadjones5458]

Great work restoring this beautiful painting!

[@matthewcondon1985]

He looks amazing! Well done!!!

[@stephanemami]

Your hypothesis is quite satisfying! I would agree he ressembles the engraved of Gramont more. But as you said, we might never now for sure. The face and the hair are extremely delicate, a master painter for sure. I still feel like the cravate is less convincing, maybe it is better in person, maybe it is because as you said the studio painted it. Great video!

[@ewhibs]

Beautiful work 👏👏👏 Cheers from the U.S.

[@sharicross547]

I totally agree with you. This is a younger version of the man. If you look at the details and the similarities closely, it is definitely him.

[@pgmorrow]

Yeah! Sunday entertainment!

[@quenoselecruzenadie]

I am so glad you put a green wash on the shoulder fabric. I wasn’t sure what protocol would be in instances of old washes coming up. Also, am appreciating the editing/ production skills you are developing. 👍🏻

[@charwells3243]

I notice the engraving has a sash similar to the painting, except in reverse. The facial tones are lovely.

[@josepherhardt164]

I'm thinking portrait painters take a good bit of liberty in making their subjects look good on canvas, so going by overall facial features versus other images can't be that reliable, but nose styles are distinctive, and I think your guess as to who it is, is correct! :)

[@marileestetson737]

Have you checked the National Archives or the V & A Museum for additional info? There are also a lot of historians in local areas. I hope you find out all you want to. I always enjoy the background stories, thank you for sharing them with us.

[@Andrew-Andre]

I don't mean to be rude, but this painting is not by Lely or his studio. I am not sure who the sitter is, but the artist is not Lely or a studio assistant of Lely, nor is it a later copy after a Lely. It looks like a decent period (late 17th - early 18th century) copy after a French artist. Loosely in the style of Hyacinth Rigaud, but certainly by another artist than Rigaud. It will probably be very difficult to get a firm attribution if the work is a period copy by a journeyman artist or studio assistant. Anyway, love your channel and you've done a great job conserving the work!

[@jaydee5022]

I know I am not the first to say this but 'A toine' looks ery like William III which might account for the orange sash. Looking through Lely's portraits he also similar to the 2nd Earl of Rochester - John Wilmot. I wonder whether the portrait belonged to Gramont rather than him being the sitter?

[@patriciacooney5705]

Well that was interesting. I was a bit shocked initially to see the wash being applied when mimitech?? If thats how the spelling goes, is what we usually see the most of. The end result is such an improvement though so no criticism here. The history and background stories are entertaining too. Cant wait for the next project, sounds fun.

[@kylebigby4287]

Love your videos, I would love to hear in future videos if you could go over the science like which chemicals you use and why a specific chemical works better than say a different one or how you do the testing. It seems like only the museum restoration videos go over the chemicals used, it feels like a missing piece since the chemistry of restoration is a huge piece of restoration and conservation

[@mascambios]

In simple terms, the chemicals used for cleaning are soaps and solvents. They are just watered down to the required strength based on the testing (starting with the weakest possible and increasing until the desired result). They can used in different ways, for example as a gel but it's the same underlying chemicals. Testing is done as shown here; small areas (ideally inconspicuous) starting with whites and then other pigment areas. Glues and varnishes may be a little more varied. Glues can be traditional - rabbit skin / fish to modern restoration ones. Varnishes for restoration (artists may choose from a wider range of options) tend to be modern hydrocarbon based resin, UV resistant ones. Old varnishes such as damar / linseed with glue discolour with age and can be unpredictable to remove. The chemistry of the pigments in the paints themselves is definitely one that would be worth delving into though.

[@Medard1947]

It should be Comte de Gramont. Thanks for the origins 'search.

[@richardwilkes2990]

Something about that stash..... seems to be a later thought...I'd like to see an x-ray (along with a more detailed UV light). I know it's a crazy longshot, but something tells me that sash is a cover up of something else , maybe the rest of the portrait, maybe to balance it out a bit? Just a thought, the paint style doesn't match as well as the detail of the rest of the canvas

[@am200969]

Why do you have to clean it before removing the varnish? Just curious.

[@TealCheetah]

I wonder if the sash/ect over his shoulder is actually a banyan?

[@gaelmaid45]

He us not wearing a "sash", that is simply the inner lining of his banyan (with gold trim) turned out. Also, the draping over the left shoulder is edged with ermine so over painting it green was a huge mistake. This type of portrait in a casual banyan was very popular at this time and there are many examples.

[@debrabarnhardt1103]

Huge mistake or simply impossible to ethically restore?

[@gaelmaid45]

@@debrabarnhardt1103 Oh no, the restoration is okay, he just misidentified the article of clothing. When you say "ethically restore" what on Earth are you talking about? Because it comes from an animal, he should cover it over? No Way. It should be restored to its original appearance.

[@damaclese2]

Funny how effeminate his face looked when it was dirty and before you removed the varnish and then once you did, he looked so much more masculine as a painter myself it is a much better painting then I initially thought lots of skill in this portrait

[@sarahjines7791]

It's fascinating to watch you work!!