When a portrait of Catherine Dickens attributed to Daniel Maclise was presented to the Charles Dickens Museum in 1996, an eminent art historian expressed concern over the painting’s attribution. The work appeared amateurish and wholly uncharacteristic of Maclise’s highly polished style. The museum accepted the gift knowing that there was work to be done.
According to Charles Dickens’s accounts, he commissioned a portrait of his wife in 1847 and it remained in her possession after she separated from him in 1858. It was later given to Angela Burdett-Coutts, a friend of the couple, and appeared in the sale of her estate at Christie’s in 1922, where it was bought by her relative, Major Seabury Burdett-Coutts. Curiously, the painting in the museum’s collection was not purchased directly from the family but was discovered in a bookshop 28 miles from the family home in 1946.
The earliest image of the painting is an engraving in the 1890 book Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil. There are differences between the two; close examination of the glass vase, for example, revealed that there were two hands at work – one of a skilled artist and one of a, most likely, less skilled restorer.
Subsequent x-ray and infrared reflectogram analysis showed that the restorer appeared to have over-cleaned the picture and, to remedy the mistake, resorted to covering it in thick swathes of paint. The infrared scan also revealed parts of Maclise’s original drawing, while the x-ray showed a beautifully delicate painting, typical of the artist, underneath the overpaint. The museum is hoping to raise enough funds to remove the overpaint and retouch Maclise’s original portrait for display.
Denis Moiseev was a recent collections intern at the Charles Dickens Museum, London
According to Charles Dickens’s accounts, he commissioned a portrait of his wife in 1847 and it remained in her possession after she separated from him in 1858. It was later given to Angela Burdett-Coutts, a friend of the couple, and appeared in the sale of her estate at Christie’s in 1922, where it was bought by her relative, Major Seabury Burdett-Coutts. Curiously, the painting in the museum’s collection was not purchased directly from the family but was discovered in a bookshop 28 miles from the family home in 1946.
The earliest image of the painting is an engraving in the 1890 book Charles Dickens by Pen and Pencil. There are differences between the two; close examination of the glass vase, for example, revealed that there were two hands at work – one of a skilled artist and one of a, most likely, less skilled restorer.
Subsequent x-ray and infrared reflectogram analysis showed that the restorer appeared to have over-cleaned the picture and, to remedy the mistake, resorted to covering it in thick swathes of paint. The infrared scan also revealed parts of Maclise’s original drawing, while the x-ray showed a beautifully delicate painting, typical of the artist, underneath the overpaint. The museum is hoping to raise enough funds to remove the overpaint and retouch Maclise’s original portrait for display.
Denis Moiseev was a recent collections intern at the Charles Dickens Museum, London
