Art Restoration: This damaged oil on canvas by C.N. Dutton is one of several paintings Michael Aaron Gallagher is working to restore.
In recent years, Michael Aaron Gallagher has rescued several antique oil paintings that have been damaged or are no longer wanted by their owners. He is working to restore small tears in the canvas, minor paint loss and carefully reframing the works to preserve their beauty, so they can be displayed for years to come.
Badly damaged landscape oil painting by F.E. Bolton, 1875.
One of the most museum-worthy oil paintings in The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection was a badly damaged, unframed canvas painted by the artist Charles Nelson Dutton (1865-1953). In 1924, his work was on display at the Palm Beach Art Club‘s annual art exhibition. The painter, who signed his paintings C.N. Dutton, often depicted Florida related historical scenes. This particular painting shows a Spanish conquistador, possibly Juan Ponce de León, who arrived in the St. Augustine area in 1513. The figure is resting on a rock, while four women folic and bathe at the base of a waterfall in a nearby creek. In the far left of the canvas is a man is riding a horse in the distance. Since acquiring the painting, Michael has done a basic cleaning, affixed it to a wooden stretcher and done most of the retouching work, covering areas of paint loss. He also built a custom maple wood frame to house the work.
Several years ago, at a flea market in a small town, Michael also discovered another unique oil painting with holes, scratches and tears in the canvas. The enchanting landscape painting with its prominent evergreen tree in the foreground and a lake surrounded by mountains in the distance has a beautiful calligraphy inscription “F.E. Bolton 1875” on the back of the stretcher. Nothing is known about the artist or the work itself. Whether it is a scene depicting a midwest pioneer or perhaps an Asian landscape brought to the United States from a faraway land, it is still a mystery. Nevertheless, the painting remains in the condition it was found, waiting for a suitable restoration and research to begin.
To view more original works in The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection click here. For information about works that have been donated to the collection click here.
Art Restoration: This before and after shows a still life antique oil painting that was damaged and dirty before Michael rescued and restored it.
Before undergoing any conservation, this damaged landscape oil painting had hundreds of spots of paint loss. Michael has since built a custom maple wood frame for the painting and partially retouched it, although there is still a lot of restoration work remaining.