The methods Blythe uses for painting conservation are NOT recommended by contemporary standards, but they are historically accurate for the time. Her method is drawn from the ‘Report of the National Gallery Site Commission’ (Great Britain, Parliament, House of Lords, January 1857). It is one of the few methods described in the inquiry, because, as Blythe says, a restorer never revealed their secrets.
In understanding Blythe’s training and work habits, I am indebted to the index on British picture restorers as collated by the National Portrait Gallery, London.
The paintings on Julian’s list were all held in public or private collections, in either England or Europe, in the mid-Victorian era. Some have since made their way into other collections, and at the time of writing (September 2023), this is where they are held:
Minerva protects Pax from Mars – Peter Paul Rubens – The National Gallery, London, England
The Birth of Venus – Sandro Botticelli – Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
The Pastoral Concert – Giorgione – Louvre, Paris, France
Danae – Artemisia Gentileschi – Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, United States
Note: There is much debate over who painted The Pastoral Concert, Giorgione or his pupil, Titian, with current thought siding with Titian. At the time the story is set, it was attributed to Giorgione.