Julia Korner Fine Art

Julia Korner Fine Art Julia Korner is a specialist in fine art conservation of paintings, sculptures & frames. International art dealer, valuer & lecturer. www.juliakorner.com

Julia is a specialist in fine art conservation of paintings, polychrome sculpture and frames. An international art dealer, specifically in 18th and 19th Century Maritime and Topographical paintings. Julia offers the following services:

- Valuation services, advising museums, private collectors and corporations. Detailed insurance and probate valuations are also provided.

- An analysis of sales

at auction with recommendations to clients as to what to buy and subsequent costs of export / conservation / collection and delivery.

- Advice on where to sell individual pieces or collections of a specific / varied nature.

- The conservation and housing of works of art.

- Advice on building and creating collections for private clients and corporations where the personal history and roots of the individual or company reflects the type of works that are acquired.

- Julia lectures for NADFAS (National Association of Decorative & Fine Art Societies), The National Maritime Museum, Fine Art Societies, Sotheby’s Institute and Christie’s Education.

This is the third time I have worked with the extraordinary Textile Conservator Louise Squire. Both of us were fortunate...
21/04/2026

This is the third time I have worked with the extraordinary Textile Conservator Louise Squire. Both of us were fortunate enough to work for Hugh MacLeod of Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye in his quest to save a vast embroidered coat of arms, hand stitched by the devoted members of staff at the Castle in the 19th Century. This treasure had been all but lost, but Louise, with her golden touch, breathed life back into it and managed to transform the work of art from a lump of sad, crumpled, fabric to this glorious vision, looming it up on to a massive stretcher. The embroidery was then transferred from Sussex to Chiswick by our trusted carrier, Ian Kennedy, and JUST managed to squeeze into the house, but the frame had to be constructed on sunny days in the garden, which enabled us to move around it freely! I chose this versatile Dutch bolection - style of frame, with its charming embroidery set within the profile, and built it out with eight additional profiles on each side, thus creating a wide, impressive, very stable frame with overlapping butted corners, verso, for added strength. Massive screws were drilled in throughout, and metal plates to create a truly solid result, which was then covered with five layers of gesso, three of terracotta bole inside and out, and only a dash of black bole on top, to create a more interesting patina. We then waxed the whole with teak and antique pine waxes and polished it and this created the much darker, mysterious look. An inner slip of gold leaf was then added and fillets within the frame set the embroidery back from the vast sheet of acrylic glass. it was a team effort, with Wessex supplying us with the acrylic glass and the studio here all working together. Finally, it left on four piano wheels to make the long journey north from Chiswick to Skye. We all await news of how it looks hanging on the castle walls, which has just re-opened after the Easter weekend! A thrilling project which we all loved, made possible by the beauty of the work which Louise Squire had achieved before it arrived!

This golden treasure by the great Danish painter Carl Holsoe (1863-1935) recently came into our studios for some tender,...
19/02/2026

This golden treasure by the great Danish painter Carl Holsoe (1863-1935) recently came into our studios for some tender, understated conservation. Holsoe studied at the Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi in Copenhagen in 1882, and in 1884 the Kunstnernes Studieskole under the famous Danish painter Peder Severin Krøyer. His fellow students at the academy and at the Kunstnernes Studieskole included Peter Ilsted and Vilhelm Hammershøi. All of these artists were, like Vermeer, captivated by the magic of light, and, in my view, Holsoe’s finer works are on a par with the best in art history. The magical colour gradation he brings to fruition in his works create a kind of harmony, unique to him. This piece had extensive craquelure, which we were able to rectify through sensitive treatment and pressing, and then we gave it a very delicate clean, and in these images you can see how the colours returned to their former brilliance, with our cautious approach. This is a particularly lovely example of his work and a classic for the subject matter for which he is most famous.

Recently, I was involved in an extensive Valuation for Probate for a large number of paintings. Among the ‘sleepers’ dis...
04/02/2026

Recently, I was involved in an extensive Valuation for Probate for a large number of paintings. Among the ‘sleepers’ discovered, was a charming local seascape by Thomas Luny, and, a most beautiful John Constable RA scene from Hampstead, Branch Hill Pond, circa 1828, needed further attention. This is a scene much loved by the great man whose birth we celebrate 250 years ago, this year, with the stupendous exhibition at Tate Britain, along with Turner. Although bought catalogued in full at Agnew’s decades ago, some believe that this might be a copy of the engraving made at the time, which was not uncommon considering the exceptional popularity of this artist, particularly in France where he inspired artists to work from everyday life, appreciating the world, and the countryside around them Constable was a master of skies, having been brought up watching the weather by his father who was a corn merchant. He would sketch the scenes that caught his eye and then work the paintings up in his studio. The painting had serious damage in the horizon, centre right, and we removed the extensive overpaint, and found we could reduce the three holes to little more than dots, which we filled, and retouched to a minimum. With all the unnecessary retouching removed the painting was transformed to a light filled gem, with a breathtaking sky, and the beautiful period swept frame, was cleaned and stabilised thus removing the dirt of centuries allowing it to twinkle once more. Our research continues apace!

This breathtaking ‘Paris Salon’ frame belonging to *Eugène Isabey’s (1803-1886)* painting ‘La Cathédrale’ must have been...
30/10/2025

This breathtaking ‘Paris Salon’ frame belonging to *Eugène Isabey’s (1803-1886)* painting ‘La Cathédrale’ must have been exhibited there, as the frame is what they always used to show pictures of true merit at the annual Paris Salon.
The whole structure of this glorious, very heavy plaster frame had to be taken apart and then entirely rebuilt, with the old corner blocks, _verso,_ removed as they were preventing the mitred corners from meeting as they should. All the frame was then cleaned, stabilised and all the missing pieces, replaced and / or repaired taking an enormous amount of time.
The frame now has enormous screws stabilising the structure and the double internal slip needed to be regilded with 22 carat gold leaf which was then protected with a hot colourless lacquer and a soft terracotta wash to match the colouring of the aged patina. Very strong hooks have now replaced the existing hanging mechanism.  

In order to stretch the parameters of the work we can do here between the two workshops, we decided to make a weather va...
01/10/2025

In order to stretch the parameters of the work we can do here between the two workshops, we decided to make a weather vane using the family’s coat of arms, that of the rampant lion, as the symbol. We bought a long sheet of 0.55 mm thick copper, and using a template, cut out two sides of the figure of the lion, one side with two legs, and the other, likewise. We then bashed out the inner side of each lion so that it billowed, slightly, and then, using an iron solderer, welded the two sides together. Once completed, we double oil gilded each side with 22 carat yellow gold leaf and painted on a distinguished face. The task then remained to make the actual structure, which we did out of aluminium and steel. The final result is a triumph for all to see and all the better for being home-made.

Throw back to: This dashing Cardinal arrived in the studio a few months ago, along with two other members of his 18th ce...
27/08/2025

Throw back to: This dashing Cardinal arrived in the studio a few months ago, along with two other members of his 18th century family. All three paintings had travelled a long journey by sea, from Nassau, for conservation.
None of these portraits had ever been lined and all were in the final throws of life on this plane - unless their deterioration could be arrested!

The pigment on this painting had cupped so badly, that in a raking light, the image itself was lost. The painting therefore needed lining, urgently, and this was done, as usual, using the lightest linen, so as to keep the tender timbre of the original portrait.

The bold, simple yet elegant 17th-century frame was also conserved; the original gilding was recovered beneath heavy gold paint, and any losses were rectified with 22 carat gold leaf.

It was an honour to breathe life back into the portrait and frame through this vital conservation - and to witness just how wonderfully the work responded to treatment. You can now see, clearly, the beauty of its ex*****on; the fine detail of the distinguished cardinal’s scarlet garments and the vivid colouring adds to the magnetism in his gaze.

Portrait of a Cardinal
Standing, half-length
Oil on Canvas, on a strainer
37 x 26 ins (94 x 66 cm)

This pearl of an Irish early Victorian portrait came into the studios severely damaged, as you will see. Traumatic tear...
10/07/2025

This pearl of an Irish early Victorian portrait came into the studios severely damaged, as you will see. Traumatic tears had ripped their way across the canvas, necessitating this small treasure being lined. It depicts a Merchant from Londonderry who died in Shanbally, Co. Tipperary around 1860. Proudly portrayed in his navy blue coat with brass buttons, this portrait cuts a dash, ensuring that any onlooker viewing this work knows that hard work and dedication to duty pays off. The adorable understated Regency / Victorian gilded frame has been saved, too, with the only remaining corner motif being copied in composition. The whole project has been challenging but highly rewarding and we must now release it back to his proud family who rightly treasure this truly special portrait of their forebear. If anyone knows who it might be by, we would all be thrilled to hear your Irish suggestions!

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