This
large painting appeared three or four years ago at an
auction in Connecticut, and although it bore no visible
signature, knowledgeable bidders recognized that it could
only have been painted by William L. Sonntag, an accomplished
19th century American artist. Regretfully, a misguided
attempt by an amateur restorer to "improve"
the sky during the 1950's or 60's caused the painting
to sell at a fraction of its value, and certainly scared
several potential buyers away. Had any client of mine
asked my opinion at the time, I most likely would have
advised them not to bid, since any future attempt to remove
the modern green sky was a very risky proposition and
there was no way to tell at the auction if any of the
original sky existed under the thick green modern paint.
By the time a client arrived at my door with the painting
the check had cleared and there was no turning back. Using
a scalpel, cotton, solvents and a great deal of skill
and time, Jackie Trombley, our Senior Conservator was
able to remove all of the modern restoration paint and
reveal the entire original sky. It was found to be in
perfect pristine condition with hardly a scratch! The
painting did not even need lining or any major restoration
in any other areas of the painting. For all practical
purposes this was a pristine example of the artist's work,
and it was later appraised by a knowledgeable dealer for
several times the price paid at auction.
