Report Joseph Miller

CONSERVATION REPORT
Joseph Miller Portrait

Institution of Civil Engineers
Lucía Muñoz-Barrena
Fine art restorer
5th November 2014 London

Conservation report of the portrait Sir John Rennie (1794-1874) 16th August 2014 Lucía Muñoz-Barrena Fine Art Restorer
INDEX
I. INTRODUCTION____________________________________________________PAGE 3
II. IDENTIFICATION DETAILS ____________________________________________PAGE 3
III. CONDITION REPORT________________________________________________PAGE 4
IV. TREATMENT RECORD
VI. 1. PAINTING RESTORATION____________________________________PAGE 5

VI. 2. MOULDING FRAME RESTORATION____________________________PAGE 8
V. FURTHER INFORMATION___________________________________________PAGE 12
VI. REFERENCES_____________________________________________________PAGE 19
2
I. INTRODUCTION
Restoration of oil on canvas portrait of Joseph Miller (1797-1860), from the Institution of Civil
Engineers in London.
The engineer is represented sitting in a chair facing forward while the body turns to the
diagonal. He is holding in his right hand a paper, probably related to his work in Civil
Engineering. The background shows vaguely an interior. Predominantly dark palette in the
noble robes and in the background. Some light spots in the face’s skin and hands. Red used in
the velvet of the chair.
II. IDENTIFICATION DETAILS
Painting technique: Oil on canvas
Artist: Sir William Boxall, R.A. (1800-1879)
Title: Portrait of Joseph Miller (1797-1860)
Date: 19th Century
Owner: Institution of Civil Engineers. 1 Great George St, London SW1P 3AA
Dimensions: Height: 127 cm Width: 101,5 cm
Frame: It is water gilded and moulded frame made of wood and plaster
Inscriptions and label on the frame: `JOSEPH MILLER M.INS. C.E.´ on the upper part of the
frame. On the lower part it says `B.1797-D1860´. It bears a small plastic label with the number
82 on the lower left corner.
Frame dimensions: Height: 162,5 cm Width: 137,5 cm Depth: 7 cm
3
III. CONTITION REPORT
The general condition is good. It has

a previous intervention that we can
appreciate in the perfect state of the
wood of the stretcher and all the
keys; the careful adhesion of the
spare piece of canvas to the back of
the stretcher (Plate 1). It has new
stainless steel nails (Plate 2), and the
layer of varnish is thick and regular.
Plate 1 Careful adhesion of Plate 2 Stainless steel nails

the canvas
The surface of the painting shows a dense film of

dust that is important to eliminate and avoid its
future accumulation, maintaining a regular
superficial cleaning. We can also see two small
dents, one on the left side of the face and the
other one above his right hand (Plate 3).
Plate 3 Dust, dent, dig and discoloration
Plate 4 Dig
Dig or concave distortion that includes loss of paint (Plate 4)
It also has a craquelure located in the upper part, on the left of the
painting; it has spiderweb shape, which means the canvas suffered an
impact (Plate 5).
Plate 5 Craquelure
After the superficial cleaning of the dust with a brush, several cloth marks appeared
underneath, caused probably by a cleaning attempt with a damp cloth (Plate 6)
4
Another damage of the paint layer is the slacking of the

canvas. This causes a deformation due to the pressure
exerted by the stretcher for a long period of time. This
happens due to the loose state of the stretcher keys.
The painting has been profusely colour retouched

which we can appreciate with day light and checked
with Ultraviolet examination as shown in plates 8 and 9.
Plate 6 Cloth marks
IV. TREATMENT RECORD
IV. 1. PAINTING RESTORATION
IV.1.1. Raking light examination
Using this kind of lighting, shining almost parallel to the paint

surface, shadows of the relief of the painting are magnified, and
some surface damages are more visible, like the deformation
caused by a dig, the accumulation of dust (Plate 7) or the mark
made by the crossbar along with the stretcher bars behind the
canvas.
In this case the paint layer is quite thin; however there are few
relatively thicker paint strokes at the white areas like the face,
Plate 7 Dig and dust hands or shirt.
IV.1.2. Ultraviolet light examination
Plate 8 Day light exam Plate 9 Ultraviolet light exam
5
Ultraviolet illumination is a non-destructive form of examination that is used to assess the

condition of artworks. It can help to determine whether or not a painting may have
experienced previous restorations. In light pink on plate 8 we can identify a discoloration of
the pigment, probably a red lake, as it usually shows pink under ultraviolet light (Plate 9)
The light blue haze indicates the thick layer of natural resin varnish. In dark blue on the eyelids
reveals restorations added to the painting at a later date.
IV.1.3. Elimination of the accumulated dust from the recto and the verso with a
brush and a hoover. Is essential to keep the dust out of the painting because it absorbs
humidity, which sets up a perfect climate for a wide range of biologic individuals.
IV.1.4. Adjusting the stretcher keys by pounding them gently with a hammer,
checking all the time the tension of the canvas.
IV. 1. 5. Cleaning of the superficial dirt with a cotton

swab dumped in deionized water. The white square on
the left of the picture demonstrates the state of the
picture before the cleaning (Plate10)
IV.1.6. The distortion, caused by the dig, was flattened

by applying controlled moisture and weight, to
encourage uniformity for the primary support as an
initial treatment before filling the loss. This process
was carried out during 48 hours. (Plate 11)
Plate 10 Superficial cleaning
IV.1.7. Filling and retouching the dig with pigments bound

with varnish. The filling is a vinylic based ready gesso applied
in four or five layers letting them dry between each other.
The pigments are mixed with a low molecular weight
Plate 11 Moistening and weight
synthetic varnish. treatment
6
IV. 1. 8. Retouching the discoloured painting on the face of the portrayed with pigments and
varnish. (Plates 11 and 12)
Plate 11 Plate 12
IV.1.9. Protection of the painting surface with a low molecular weight varnish applied by brush.
When the varnish is still fresh, it attracts very easily dust particles from the ambient, and they
get trapped inside giving a rough aspect to the surface.
To avoid it occurs, all the surfaces of the workshop, including the floor, were hoovered and
wet.
7
IV.2. MOULDING FRAME RESTORATION
IV.2.1. Gluing the split with pure PVA and keeping

the pressure with a clamp (Plate 13)
IV.2.2. Cleaning the superficial dirt with a dusting

brush and sucking simultaneously with a hoover (Plate 14)
IV.2.3. Adhesion of elements potentially

dettached by injecting pure PVA, prewetting with ethanol
Plate 13. Clamp joining the

split
IV.2.4. Chemical cleaning with a mix of neutral
soap with turpentine and deioniced water (Plate 15)
IV.2.5. Sealing cracks injecting ready gesso. This

process requires time, because you have to apply thin layers of
gesso and let them dry in between the applications. Otherwise it
would crack, not accomplishing the structural function (Plate 16)
Plate 14. Hoovering the dust
Plate 15. Partial cleaning

Plate 16. Injected gesso
8
VI.2.6. Making the moulding of the inner and outer part of the frame. Previous
protection with petrolatum as a release agent, we apply platinum-cure silicone rubber to the
selected part we want to reproduce. 1 Then we create a rigid structure by pouring a thick layer
of gesso of París. When it is cured we make the casting filling the mould with gesso of Paris
mixed with PVA (10%) to make it more resistant.
Taking a mould with the shape of the missing

e missing area area from the opposite corner of the frame
Silicone applied to register the moulding

IV.2.7. WhenCasting the moulds
the casting with gesso of
is completely Paris you have to adjust it to the missing area by
cured
creating the proper shape with tools like scalpel or little rasps. (Plate 17)
IV.2.8. Application of a layer of gesso mixed with PVA (30%) in order to create a resistant
protection and a smooth finish. It also seals the fissures Plate 17 Casting adapted to the
between the original and the new mould. missing areas
IV.2.9. Last coat is the bole, which is a mix of very fine

red clay with rabbit skin glue in low proportion (about
20%). There must have at least eight or nine layers of
bole, allowing six hours of drying time between each
layer (Plate 18). Once dried, the bole is smoothed
with a short hair brush until it shines.
1
Body Double® “Apply to Skin” Platinum Silicone Rubber www.smooth-on.com
9
IV.2.10. Gilding
Plate 18 Application of the red bole
- Oil gold leaf sizing is applied on the boled surfaces. This size is mixed with yellow oil
painting to approach the color.
- On the flat part of the frame we use transfer gold leaf, and loose gold leaf on the
moulding areas.
- Because the new gold is very shiny, we have to toned down to blend in with the
original finish, using watercolours.
- Finally, small abrasions are touched with acrylic gold painting and toned with
watercolours to match with the surrounded shade.
RESTORATION PROCESS OF
THE RIGHT CORNER OF THE
FRAME IN PICTURES 1. MISSSING AREA
10
3. BOLE APPLIED 4. OIL GILDED
5. TONED DOWN, BLENDED IN WITH THE ORIGINAL
11
V. FURTHER INFORMATION
BIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH MILLER
Joseph Miller (1797-1860) of Miller and Ravenhill
John (sic) Miller, FRS, the celebrated engine maker was a native of Dalston in Cumberland.
1834 Joseph Miller of 6 Brunswick Terrace, Commercial Road, London, an Engineer in the firm
of Barnes and Miller, became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
1861 Obituary
Joseph Miller was born at Carlisle, in the year 1797, and he there received the ordinary
education of the period, no special attention being devoted to the direction of his studies,
although the bent of his mind was sufficiently evident, as from a very early period he was a
thinking, meditative boy, avoiding the companionship of children of his own age, and seeking
the society of men, from whom he could learn something connected with his favourite study -
the construction of machinery.
He thus early became thoroughly acquainted with the mechanism and the theory of the two
Boulton and Watt steam-engines, then working in Carlisle. Great interest was at that time
requisite to enable an apprentice to be received in the already celebrated Soho Works; but on
James Watt having laid before him the memorandum books and sketches of the would-be
engineer, and finding from his conversation that his acquirements were above the average, he
consented to his being articled to the firm, and Joseph Miller entered the Soho Works at the
age of about fifteen years.
His mother having died when he was very young, his father went to America, to prosecute a
claim to an estate which he eventually recovered through the influence of President Jefferson;
thus young Miller was left to fight his way alone and without any aid, save that of his own
persevering spirit. Soon after his admission to Soho, John Barnes, a godson of Mr. Watt’s, was
received there as an articled pupil, and between these two young men, of very nearly the
same age, an intimacy sprung up, which in after-years ripened into a sincere friendship, and
ultimately led to their partnership in business. Their tastes were similar, and they pursued
their studies and took their recreations together.
Their progress in the acquisition of mechanical knowledge was very rapid, and when it was
deemed advisable that Barnes should go to Edinburgh to study at the university, he was very
anxious that his friend Miller should accompany him. This could not however be accomplished,
and Miller remained at Soho, where, under the able tuition and guidance of Murdoch,
Southeron, John and Henry Creighton, Brown, and others, whose names are intimately
connected with the early history of the steam-engine, he rapidly acquired a degree of
12
proficiency which, in 1817, at the early age of twenty years, induced an offer from the late Mr.
Jessop to intrust to him the management of the mechanical portion of the Butterley Iron
Works.
That offer he accepted, and he thus had ample scope for the exercise of his talents; and the
steam engines designed by him soon deservedly acquired a high reputation. He there adopted
the use of steam at an increased pressure, working with expansive gearing; and not only in the
construction of the engines, but in the consumption of fuel, he arrived at considerable
economy.
This principle he extended to the marine engine constructed at Butterley for the ‘Lord Melville’
and the ‘Royal Sovereign,’ vessels which, under the guidance of Messrs. Jolliffe and Banks,
formed the nucleus of the General Steam Navigation Company.
About the year 1820, Mr. Barnes, who had been commissioned to superintend the
construction, at Butterley, of a pumping-engine on the Cornish principle, visited the works, and
renewed his acquaintance with his former friend, who was then married and apparently
settled. Mr. Barnes there met the sister of Mrs. Miller, whom he eventually married, and this
additional bond doubtless contributed to induce the proposition on his part for Miller to join
him in establishing in London a manufactory for marine steam-engines.
This project was accomplished in 1822, and between that period and the year 1885 (query this
date - Barnes left in 1835), when the partnership was dissolved, both Barnes and Miller were
very actively and successfully engaged in the production of marine engines, for the numerous
steam-packet companies then springing up on all sides.
The new factory was established in Glasshouse Fields, Ratcliff; and for the Southampton and
Havre, and the Dover and Calais stations, they were early and fully engaged.
Barnes and Miller next turned their attention, so early as in 1826-27, to the navigation of the
River Soane, where they attained great success, which led to their being employed on the
Rhone, where, with their vessel the 'Pioneer,' they succeeded for the first time in navigating
that river without assistance from the shore.
In the Memoir of Mr. John Barnes there occurs the following passage: 'Before this period
(1826-27), the introduction of steam power for the propulsion of passenger vessels on the
Rhone and the Soane, had been scarcely deemed practicable, and the endeavour to employ it
for towing barges, had been attended with very moderate success. When attempted by some
French Engineers, by Manby, Wilson and Co, of Charenton, and by Steele and Atkins, of La
Gare, a member of this latter firm was killed by the explosion of the boiler, in an attempt to
propel the vessel against the stream; and the Writer of this memoir (who had gone on board
to aid his countrymen in overcoming a difficulty,) only saved his life and those of his workmen,
by ordering them in great haste from the boat, on perceiving that the working engineer had
fastened down the safety-valve, by a strut between the end of the valve lever and the deck
carline ; the explosion occurred, before the party reached the shore, and the unfortunate
cause of it perished, with a number of persons of some importance in Lyons.
13
“This catastrophe and the general indifferent success of the previous attempts, had so
depressed all speculative enterprise at Lyons, that when a Company was formed, for the
navigation of the Rhone, Messrs. Barnes and Miller felt themselves called upon to make a
considerable investment in the affair, to impart to it some degree of, confidence, which still
was very wavering; when however, on the first upward voyage, intelligence was sent by
courier, from each station, that the steamer was overcoming all difficulties, the value of the
shares rose, as the solution of the problem approached, and when the boat reached Lyons, in
two days less than the time guaranteed by the Engineers, the securities had reached a
premium, and were eagerly purchased from Messrs. Barnes and Miller, who immediately
secured extensive orders for engines and machinery for France, and subsequently for this
country, where the reputation of the machinery from the works thus established, has been
worthily maintained to the present time.”
Extensive engagements followed rapidly, and the Mediterranean packets from Marseilles soon
afforded them a large sphere of action. Then the Havre boats occupied their attention; and in
1834 the series of Star Company’s Gravesend packets was commenced by the construction of
the engines for the 'Comet,' the 'Star,' and the 'Planet,’ vessels which attained speeds
previously considered impracticable, and which subsequently, between 1837 and 1852, in the
‘Vesper,’ ‘Satellite,’ ‘Meteor,’ 'New Star,’ 'Jupiter ’ and ‘Mars,’ was raised to upwards of fifteen
miles per hour.
Early in the year 1835 the partnership with Mr. Barnes was dissolved, and Mr. Miller, having
become the purchaser of the establishment in Glass-House Fields, was joined in March of that
year by Mr. Richard Ravenhill. The firm of Miller, Ravenhill, and Co continued until the year
1846, when, by the introduction of Mr. Salkeld, who had been connected with them for some
years! the firm became Miller, Ravenhill, and Salkeld.
In 1835 the ‘Iberia,’ the first vessel of the fleet of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, was
intrusted to the firm, and Mr. Miller exhibited his usual skill in the engines, as in 1840 he did in
the oscillating engines of large size for the ‘Ripon,’ the ‘Indus,’ and the ‘Pottinger,’ the first iron
vessels constructed for that Company.
In the year 1844 the firm secured the services of Mr. Pasco as their naval architect, and at their
new water-side premises at Blackwall, they subsequently constructed some very successful
iron steamers, which attained great speed; the ‘Prince of Wales,’ London and Margate packet,
reached upwards of sixteen miles per hour, which was considered very remarkable, until in
1846, the ‘Llewellyn’ Holyhead mail packet attained, on her trial trip, a speed of upwards of
eighteen miles per hour.
In 1835 the ‘Tancrede ’ and the ‘Leonidas’ were constructed for the French Government Post-
office service in the Mediterranean; then followed the ‘Ichnusa,’ a vessel fitted with Morgan’s
feathering paddle-wheels for the Sardinian Government; and in the year 1843 the engines of
the ‘Cuvier,’ French vessel of war, were confided to the firm, whose reputation was at its
zenith.
Many other equally successful works were also accomplished, such as the Mediterranean
packets the 'Phoenician,’ the 'Phoca,’ and the ‘Charlemagne’ between 1836 and 1840; and the
14
‘Argonaut,’ the ‘Pylades,’ and the ‘Orestes,’ in 1840, for the Russian Government, for the
navigation of the Black Sea.
The navigation of the Rhine had been often attempted, but only with comparatively indifferent
success. Mr. Miller studied the case carefully, and in 1837 supplied the engines for the 'Herzog
von-Nassau,’ and in 1839 for the ‘Comet;’ in the latter year he also constructed the engines for
the ‘Victoria,’ an iron vessel, built by Ditchburn; and in 1841, for the ‘Elberfeld,’ another iron
vessel by the same builder.
Between 1844 and 1847 were also constructed the engines for the new ‘Elberfeld,’ the
‘Concordia,’ and the ‘Joseph Miller,’ for iron vessels designed by Pasco, which attained great
success. It was on board of one of these vessels, of very light construction, and drawing only a
few inches of mater, that Mr. Miller nearly met his death. He had invited a party of select
friends, comprising Thomas Landseer, with his wife and cousin, Messrs. C. Landseer, T. H.
Wyatt, the late Frank Stone, R. Perring, and some others, to accompany him in a trial trip from
the Thames to the Rhine; and when about mid-channel, foggy and heavy weather came on,
which obliged them to lie off the coast until daylight. The slightly-built vessel showed signs of
weakness amidships, and would doubtless have broken up, under such a heavy trial, but for
the presence of mind of Mr. Miller, who, although suffering severely from rheumatic gout,
calmly ordered timber struts to be placed between the boilers, and between them and the
sides of the vessel, and then, with a chain and screw-coupling, to brace all together, thus the
buckling of the sides of the vessel was prevented and the mouth of the river Rhine was safely
reached, contrary to the anticipations of many on board, who had given up all hope of ever
again seeing terra firma.
So early as in 1812 the engines of the ‘Trent’ and the ‘Isis’ were built for the Royal West India
Mail Packet Company, and these were followed in 1852 by the oscillating engines with
feathering paddles for the ‘Solent,’ and the ‘Tyne,’ for the same company; vessels of 1,800
tons burden, which, with only 400 H.P., attained respectively, on their trial trips, the speeds of
13.945 knots and 14.6 knots per hour.
When every Steam Packet Company in England, and every foreign government had become
fully convinced of the excellence of the engines designed by Mr. Miller, the authorities at the
Admiralty awoke to the probable utility of trying his skill, and in 1835 an air of engines of 120
H.P. were allowed to be put on board H.M. ship ‘Blazer,’ then followed in-
 1837 the ‘Tartarus,’ 120 H.P.
 1841 the ‘ Infernal,’ 320 ,,
 1842 the ‘ Gladiator,’ 400 ,,
The two latter pairs of engines were on the direct-action principle, and those for the
‘Gladiator’ had the air-pumps placed at an angle, an innovation which arose from an accident.
When Mr. Miller sent in the design for these direct-acting engines with the air-pumps placed
vertically and side by side between the cylinders, an objection was raised, that the engines
occupied so much space athwart ships that the guns could not be trailed fore and aft. Mr.
Miller, being determined to meet and conquer the objection, instantly produced another
15
design, in which the cylinders were brought up close together, and the air-pumps were worked
fore and aft in inclined positions to the main shaft, thus inducing an improved design of
engine, whilst defeating a less worthy design of another kind.
Between 1844 and 1847 were produced the engines for H.M. ships ‘Amphion’- the first direct-
action horizontal screw-engines placed beneath the waterline, for the British navy- the Minx,
Teazer, Rifleman, Sharpshooter, Plumper, Triton, Basilisk, Furious, Valorous, Buzzard, and
Barracouta - a goodly list, and all of successful engines.
It should be noted that the original notion of the ‘Amphion’s’ engines, as a means of driving
the screw-propeller, then a new introduction, direct and without the intervention of gearing,
and so placed as to be underneath the waterline, was submitted to the Lords of the Admiralty,
by Count Rosen: this crude idea was also laid before Mr. Miller, who willingly undertook to
arrange the details, and be responsible for the action of the machinery, the order for which
was forthwith given to Messrs. Miller and Ravenhill, who had thus the merit of introducing a
most useful innovation into the Royal Navy.
The part taken by Mr. Miller in the introduction of the Screw Propeller should not be
forgotten. In 1837 he was consulted by F. P. Smith, and was much pressed to construct the
engines and machinery for the ‘Archimedes,’ which was designed by Pasco and built by
Wimshurst in 1838. Being, however, too much occupied to undertake the construction of the
engines within the desired period, Mr. Miller could only give his friendly advice to the
ingenious projector of the novel system of propulsion, and it was only in 1839 that Messrs.
Miller and Ravenhill had intrusted to them, with the consent of Messrs. Rennie, the
contractors, the repairs of the boilers and engines of the ‘Archimedes’ after an accident.
From that period Mr. Miller’s attention was devoted to the subject of screw propulsion, and to
such an extent did he carry his enthusiasm, that he spent nearly three months on board of
H.M. ship ‘Amphion,’ when on foreign service, for the purpose of fully examining the working
of the new propeller under all circumstances. Indeed it may be doubted whether even the
determined energy of Mr. F. P. Smith would have been successful in the introduction of the
Screw Propeller to H.M. Navy, had not such men as Joseph Miller taken up the question of its
adaptation and its construction; and what was even more essential, had not Mr. Thomas Lloyd,
then the Chief Engineer of the Royal Dockyard, Woolwich, so early recognized and fostered the
invention.
To this gentleman the country owes a deep debt of gratitude for the calm, careful manner in
which he has encouraged this and all other really useful innovations, and for the warning voice
with which he has fearlessly discouraged all wild and improbable schemes, however
powerfully patronised.
Between 1846 and 1849 the engines were produced for the Blasco de Garry, the Alesta, the
Vigilante, and the Pizarro, for the Spanish royal navy; and in the latter year the engines for the
Egyptian frigate, the Sharkie, were built with great success.
16
It should also be stated that a number of engines were likewise constructed for the Austrian
Lloyd's packets, which, until the establishment of the Electric Telegraph, brought the earliest
Indian news by way of Alexandria and Trieste.
This long and somewhat dry enumeration of engines does not, of course, comprise all the
works that were undertaken by Mr. Miller and his partners, nor is it possible within the limits
of this sketch to trace the gradual development of the ideas which induced the improvements
daily introduced into steam machinery.
Mr. Miller was possessed naturally of an appreciation of beauty of form and of proportion
which enabled him to sketch the various parts of a machine almost with the accuracy of a
drawing made to a scale, and hence the peculiar aptness of form and fitness of proportion
which characterized all his engines. To him is, in a great degree, due the greater use of
wrought iron, thus reducing the weight and augmenting the strength of the machines, as well
as rendering them more compact, and putting them below the waterline out of the reach of
shot. He was a pure mechanic naturally, he had carefully cultivated his tastes by study, and the
daily practice of his art completed his qualifications; and if his health had permitted, he would
have eventually taken a very high position.
Unfortunately his health, which had been for some years very precarious, so failed that, in
December of 1852, he was obliged to retire from the firm of which he had been so long the
successful chief, and which now still retains its well-earned reputation.
In spite of his painful malady, Mr. Miller, after his retirement from business, continued to
cultivate the companionship of artists and literary men, in which he had always taken pleasure;
his home was ever open to them, and many brilliant and happy meetings are in the
remembrance of his friends, as are also the more social evenings of the Shakespeare Club at an
earlier period when many of the now great literary and artistic stars had scarcely reached
above the horizon.
His taste exhibited itself in the formation of a small but choice collection of pictures, the works
of modern artists, all of whom were his personal friends; and these works were his solace:
when confined to his chamber, he could look around and, as he expressed it, still fancy that he
could hear the well-remembered voices of his friends as he looked upon their works.
He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Member of several other scientific bodies. He was
a very old Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, having been elected in the year 1834.
He served for several years as a Member of the Council, and only retired when he was
precluded by continued illness from attending the Meetings. That he was devotedly attached
to the Institution was shown not only by his taking a vivid interest in all its proceedings up to
the period of his last leaving England, but by his munificent legacy to it of Five Thousand
Pounds. In recognition of this considerate liberality, the Institution unanimously concurred in
the propriety of having a portrait of Mr. Miller suspended in the meeting-room, and
establishing a ‘Miller Medal,’ to be given with the premiums bearing his name.
In spite of the best medical assistance, Mr. Miller’s painful attacks of rheumatic gout grew
more frequent and acute, and after repeated journeys to warmer climates, he was persuaded
17
to accompany his sister and niece to South Carolina, where he purchased an estate; but he was
not allowed to enjoy it for any length of time, as on the 23rd of February, 1860, he expired,
after only a few days’ illness, in the sixty-third year of his age.
This brief sketch will not permit a detailed account to be given of the progressive labours of a
man whose whole energies were fixed on one object, the development of the powers of a
machine in which he believed, and to which he saw no limit. Such a believer was Joseph Miller:
he was a man of philosophic spirit, and an inquiring mind, with a calm manner and apparently
an unruffled temper, withal he possessed untiring energy and indomitable courage and
perseverance; but more especially he was remarkable for his rare social qualities. There were
few such warm friends as he; and few men have left behind them a name which will SO long
dwell in the memories of all who had the good fortune to enjoy his friendship. 2
2
Andrew Tweedie, Joseph Miller (6 March 2014) Grace´s Guide, British Industrial History,
<http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Joseph_Miller#cite_note-3>.
18
VI. REFERENCES
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/*/chooseLetter/U/
http://www.yale.edu/ycbastudentguides/uv/girl.html
http://www.ndt.net/article/art2011/papers/NEVIN%20-%20NDT%2038.pdf
http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/uv.html
http://www.icon.org.uk/images/stories/CareConFRAMESGilDINGA4%20version.pdf
http://www.icon.org.uk/images/stories/care_and_conservation_of_oil_paintings6.pdf
http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Paintings
http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/
Paintings#Varnishes_and_Surface_Coatings_.281998.29
http://cool.conservation-us.org/waac/wn/wn27/wn27-2/wn27-205.pdf
http://www.e-conservationline.com: Article from e_conservation, the online magazine. No. 1,

October 2007, pp. 42-51/124
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/behind_the_scenes/
19

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CONSERVATION REPORT

Joseph Miller Portrait

5th November 2014 London

II. IDENTIFICATION DETAILS ____________________________________________PAGE 3

III. CONDITION REPORT________________________________________________PAGE 4

IV. TREATMENT RECORD

VI. 1. PAINTING RESTORATION____________________________________PAGE 5

II. IDENTIFICATION DETAILS

Painting technique: Oil on canvas

Artist: Sir William Boxall, R.A. (1800-1879)

Title: Portrait of Joseph Miller (1797-1860)

Date: 19th Century

Dimensions: Height: 127 cm Width: 101,5 cm

Frame dimensions: Height: 162,5 cm Width: 137,5 cm Depth: 7 cm

III. CONTITION REPORT

The general condition is good. It has

Plate 1 Careful adhesion of Plate 2 Stainless steel nails

The surface of the painting shows a dense film of

Plate 3 Dust, dent, dig and discoloration

Another damage of the paint layer is the slacking of the

The painting has been profusely colour retouched

Plate 6 Cloth marks

IV. TREATMENT RECORD

IV. 1. PAINTING RESTORATION

IV.1.1. Raking light examination

Using this kind of lighting, shining almost parallel to the paint

IV.1.2. Ultraviolet light examination

Plate 8 Day light exam Plate 9 Ultraviolet light exam

Ultraviolet illumination is a non-destructive form of examination that is used to assess the

IV. 1. 5. Cleaning of the superficial dirt with a cotton

IV.1.6. The distortion, caused by the dig, was flattened

Plate 10 Superficial cleaning

IV.1.7. Filling and retouching the dig with pigments bound

IV.2. MOULDING FRAME RESTORATION

IV.2.1. Gluing the split with pure PVA and keeping

IV.2.2. Cleaning the superficial dirt with a dusting

IV.2.3. Adhesion of elements potentially

Plate 13. Clamp joining the

IV.2.5. Sealing cracks injecting ready gesso. This

Plate 15. Partial cleaning

Taking a mould with the shape of the missing

Silicone applied to register the moulding

IV.2.9. Last coat is the bole, which is a mix of very fine

FRAME IN PICTURES 1. MISSSING AREA

3. BOLE APPLIED 4. OIL GILDED

5. TONED DOWN, BLENDED IN WITH THE ORIGINAL

BIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH MILLER

Joseph Miller (1797-1860) of Miller and Ravenhill

 1837 the ‘Tartarus,’ 120 H.P.

 1841 the ‘ Infernal,’ 320 ,,

 1842 the ‘ Gladiator,’ 400 ,,

http://www.e-conservationline.com: Article from e_conservation, the online magazine. No. 1,

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