Our museums and galleries house fascinating collections, from living bugs to The Beatles, fine art to photography, the Titanic to ancient Egypt.
Follow us online:
Our museums and galleries house fascinating collections, from living bugs to The Beatles, fine art to photography, the Titanic to ancient Egypt.
Conservation departments
Detail of the x-ray of the left background and the equivalent area of the finished painting
The x-ray also shows that the to the left of the Viscountess there was originally a twisted, columnar form with a linear highlight weaving across its surface and a clump of circular shapes gathered at its base. Comparison with Gainsborough’s other portraits of the period suggest this was almost certainly a tree trunk with a climbing vine or ivy adding a decorative feature to the surface and blooms or foliage at the foot of the tree.