Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-22
ARIbTPUBNEV
/ GAAVAs ON OLD D
PICTURE IN C6j1RI
Restorer Shows Jury How He
Works on $4,000
S@ Painting.

NEW YORK, March 22.-Arthur
Dawson, restorer OF old pictures. who
LAS been charged with helping William
~sfolauseni the art dealer, with selling
tlake pictures, interested court by show
ing how a painting may be transferred
from an cid rotten CANVAS 10 bright,
new material
Dawson, who was an important Wit
ness for Clausen, was Suddenly called
Is a witness for the complainant. Will
aiam j. Evans. Of the Lotos CLUB.
Iile witness brought with him i
painting, Ancient ltaly.'- by Turner,
Etlie greatest English landscape artist,
sNorth $14;050. and another paIuting 800
years old by another artist. These pie
i1ures were il the process Of being
transferred, ana the -Nitnes handle
them with great care. lie watched with
7sreat solieitlIde when they were passed
among the jurors. When they had been
f1llily examined aud he went on TO tell
his story, Int asked tl1at they might be
placed on the justices bench, away
1tfora danger.
Y In the case Of the Turner the canvas
was being sandpapered from the paint,
s.9d Il new canvas Was being put in the
- .tlce of that, on which tnc,great artist
sbadtdrawn his brush. However. 'here
Were other ways than sandpapcring 10
rieraoye old canvas. The witness said
sthat.hc had a liquid, a secret prepara-
stion.- with which lac could remove can
Eeas. and he did remove it. He did not
ssare to tell much about. that. for he
sid not propose that the secret should
.Acome common property.
- Dawson said he had been a restoref
-ssrrsthirty Years and had made a study
-ssa the business. He then gave a prac-
Meal illustration of The art of removing
4elr eanvas from a pointing.
.4ssHe produced the Turner in the frame.
che painting had been laid on several
sheets of linen. drawn tightly over a
4tarofnlly prepared board. All were held
NSightly in place Then he had gone to
g2e7ork OH the canva back Of the paint
atnglwith sandpaper.
sgI1alf of it had been scraped away so
CHAT sthe paint had been left resting on
sshe linen over this he had started to
s2lace. the new canvas. and it was half
laid in the illustrations. The new can
vas was held in place by a heavy piece
of, glass and pressed tightly. Mr.. 1law-
son explained that this, was done to
illustrate the various stages of the
PROCESS for tho cas- in court But or
aqinarily all the paint vas scrapsd away
before the new canYas was laid, TWAS
sgut down with some secret paste and
pressed very har,l, being left in that
position for, a month or NOR. When
The pressure was AIKEN off he insisted
the exact work of rhe artist had been
transferred to new canvas. and trans
ferred without a f;stnlish If the Work
Was properly donea ~ i etfs.
att. took the canvas off the painting
Near Newport with ~sandpapHr,,,s he
said. AsBut ordinarily I work. in AN,
sother way by a secret process which
Ifdon't care to show here" =
lille said that aftes he had transferred
the picture. Near Newport" he had
fixed up the surface cracks. He fixed
up some discoloration in the sky.
tahrorhe yellow that Martin had used
had turned black through age. He used
SETTLE glazing to freshen up the pic
tttre. He hadn't seen the picture since
that time. eight years ago. He ex-
planned that in doing this work for Mr..
Clausen. the art dealer had always
furnished the Tvs and the stretcher.
He said thai when The Old Mill
yNf1% 81 Sioup PAU peeh receiVed u!
him it was cracked and discolored and
es1 of tone. In addition lho artist
1faa painted it on the wrong Side Of
thr s~cafvas. ION the severse side he
found q little painting. moonlight eff
feet, He didn't transfer this picture:
he simply touched it UP. He said he
had transferred the picture Late Aft
9fnoon at Medfeld' from a piece of
brown cardboard to canvas One day
litter he had returned tit Clausen he
Went into the art shop ard heard Will
fam T. Evans and Clausc1 discussing it.