One of the Barber Institute's most valuable paintings has returned to the walls of the main galleries following restoration work.
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's 'The Marriage Feast at Cana', painted circa 1672, was restored to its former glory in a nine-month public conservation project at the University of Birminghan gallery.
The painting was taken down at the end of April last year and moved to the Reserve Gallery, where Stratford-based conservator Stewart Meese began work on cleaning and restoring the Baroque masterpiece for the first time in 60 years.
Throughout the project, gallery visitors were able to watch the process and ask him questions. Stewart says: "It has suffered the most extraordinary ravages of time, but I we've respected the painting and its new appearance does it justice."
Barber Institute senior curator, Paul Spencer-Longhurst, says: "It's wonderful to see the picture back in the galleries after an absence of so many months."
