Lowy Hits a Homer

Did you ever play with disappearing ink when you were a kid? The kind that can't be seen until the paper is dipped in a magic solution? That's the experience paper conservator Vlad Popov had while working on two drawings by acclaimed American artist Winslow Homer.

Dara Mitchell and Peter Rathbone of the American Paintings department at Sotheby's were hoping to put "Girl in Grass" and "Girl in a Landscape" in an upcoming auction and asked Lowy if they could clean the badly discolored works. "The old paper had become so dark that the drawings literally turned into 'negative' images," explained Larry Shar. Most of the pencil strokes and gouache were hidden as a result of oxidation, but the traces that showed through had turned white. "The image was barely discernable- almost like a ghost."

Enter Vlad Popov, Lowy's paper conservator. "In all my years, I've never seen anything so thoroughly sun-damaged- only long, direct exposure can cause this," Vlad recalls pensively. "But after the shock wore off, I went to work." "Girl in Grass" posed unique problems because it had been mounted on cardboard with an animal glue, which soaked through the paper pores to the front of the drawing. Because of this, the fairly routine task of removing the drawing from the secondary support turned into a highly complicated one.

After removal, both drawings were given several baths. "Because the discoloration was so severe," explained Vlad, "I used the most penetrating chemicals sanctioned by the American Institute for Conservation." The works soaked for nearly six minutes in a calcium hypochlorite solution with a 9.5 pH level. Then came pure water with a pH of 10, followed by an "anti chlor" solution to stop the bleaching process and remove any chlorine residues from the paper fibers. Finally, the artworks were rinsed again. Vlad recalls his astonishment when these ugly ducklings became beautiful swans, right before his eyes. "When I put them in the first bath, I looked away for a brief moment, and as I turned back, I saw the dark fade away and the delicate lines begin to appear." He watched until his years of experience told him the works had achieved their maximum potential, then stopped the process with the next bath.

Once the works dried, there was fortunately very little additional work to do. After minor inpainting with a soft lead graphite pencil, they were ready for the auction block.

Were the many hours Popov spent on the project worth it? From every point-of view, yes. The world has been given a second chance to enjoy two remarkable works by Winslow Homer, and Sotheby's, who wasn't even sure the drawings could be sold when they first saw them, brought in nearly $275,000 for the pair.