Fruit Piece with Squirrel, 1630s
Frans Snyders (Flemish, 1579-1657)
Oil on canvas
Gift of Mrs. Blakemore Wheeler  1959.15 

How much will it cost?  $7,000 

ADOPT NOW!

This painting is a gem, and we want to make it a showstopper in the galleries. They say a photo is worth a thousand words, and we think that the photographs we snapped during a cleaning test have a big story to tell! You can see that the surface of the painting is extremely discolored; a natural resin varnish has discolored and gone yellowish green with age. Even more incredibly, there appears to be very little retouching that has been done over the centuries, and no flaking, unstable paint. Unfortunately, the high gloss varnish accentuates the cracks and some surface abrasion in the background passages, and this would be visually corrected with treatment.  

The results will be dramatic.  

Once the painting has been cleaned, we will also consult with experts on a potential new frame that is historically period-appropriate for the painting. If you are interested in supporting (no pun intended) the funding of this additional step to bring this painting into the permanent collection galleries where it belongs, please let us know!