John Shaw reports on the art detective work that has uncovered the hidden secret of a £350,000 painting after it was "doctored" in the early 1950s.
Art detective work has uncovered the hidden secret of a £350,000 painting after it was "doctored" in the early 1950s. "The Crystal Ball" by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) shows a young model in a red dress gazing into the ball, apparently weaving a spell with the aid of a book and a skull.
(with skull)
It was shown alongside a more spiritual picture by the artist at the Royal Academy in 1902. The study later entered the Pyman collection and eventually hung in the dining room at Glenborrodale Castle, Highland.
The painting was sold with the castle when the property changed hands in 1952-3. But the new owner did not like the skull and had it covered by curtains. The picture was later sold and it will be auctioned again at Christies, London, on Friday. It came into the auction room in its amended state.
But when Martin Beisly, head of the Victorian picture department, and his team began to research it's background they came across photographs of the original in "The Art Journal", 1909. An X-ray of the picture showed the skull still there.
A pigment analysis demonstrated that the original surface was still protected with a layer of varnish which meant the addition could be removed safely. The picture would clean up "quite beautifully", Mr. Beisly said.
© The Times, 1994
