Correcting years of damage

I remain ambivalent with regard to unnecessary alterations to the stained glass windows, although my intentions to create stand-alone art makes me inclined to correct cracks in glass, for example.  However I wanted to see how effectively I could restore more demanding damage.

The East window of the Chapel of St. Nicholas dates back to 1896 and is the largest work by Henry Holiday in the chapel.  Above the four lights is a roundel of Eunice and her son Timothy, which has sustained quite considerable weather-related damage over the past 120+ years, which is most obvious on the skin tones and in particular the two faces – why start with something simple?!

While this remains work in progress, I am particularly pleased with the results I have achieved on Eunice’s face.

There is still a long way to go with many of the individual pieces of stained glass.  Both items of clothing above have had an initial tidy-up, but could be further improved – it is all just a matter of available time.  With me heading off on a school trip to South Africa for the next two weeks, time is short!

The roundel is flanked by angels.  Oddly, the angel on the left was in pristine condition whereas the other required extensive post production work on each skin-coloured piece of glass.  Below is the semi-complete work:

UPDATE: August 01, 2018

Another 10+ hours of editing has produced a more complete restoration, although I am less than satisfied with the work.  Some of the damage left minimal original material with which to work, making the reproduction of accurate textures very difficult.

The format of this blog better lends itself to a cropped view of the roundel of Eunice and Timothy, so below is a before and after animated GIF:

Eunice and Timothy (Henry Holiday, 1896) Chapel of St. Nicholas