━━ The 18th century painting revealed its true form. In the background, the figure of a demon appeared.
( Source: National Trust / Creative commons, CC-BY )
Uncovering the secrets of the past is a rather interesting, even frightening business. History is full of hidden stories that are covered with layers of dust. In this case, under a layer of paint. Because restorers have uncovered a ghostly phenomenon in an 18th-century painting. When the top layer was removed, a mysterious demonic figure was revealed.
Works of art convey a variety of scenes and many have become world famous for their uniqueness and value. However, not every painting is as it first appears. Many show only the top layer, but underneath are depictions that have been purposefully painted over. Artists often reworked them because they weren’t satisfied or wanted to hide something that other eyes weren’t meant to see.
One such startling phenomenon was discovered by restorers in the painting Death of Cardinal Beaufort, painted more than 230 years ago by the English artist Joshua Reynolds. The scene is inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Henry VI , in which the king lays at the deathbed of his uncle the cardinal. In one entrance , he utters these words: “Oh, banish the diligent, intrusive devil that besieges the soul of this wretch”.
Reynolds originally interpreted the scene literally on screen. However, the image was shocking and critically reviled in its day, so gradually the demon standing in the background disappeared under layers of paint and varnish. To depict an unreal figure in its true form did not conform to the artistic and social rules of the time.
The restoration of the painting to its original form was not at all easy and posed a great challenge for the restorers . However, after carefully removing the layers, the demon was uncovered in its original form. As Reynolds intended it to be.
“It’s a large painting and we wanted to make sure it still represented what Reynolds originally painted, which included allowing the demon to be revealed,” said Becca Hellen, senior conservator of paintings at the National Trust.
Reynolds himself reportedly resisted pressure to remove the demon from the painting. According to the National Trust, it had been covered with numerous overpaints by several people, as well as six layers of varnish The first attempts were not entirely successful, as an unsightly smudge appeared in place of the demon.
The restored painting was presented to the public to mark the 300th anniversary of Reynolds’ birth.
