In any art collection whose origins are diverse, there will inevitably be a "miscellaneous" section. In the case of the Defence Collection this section includes some of the very best works of art and historic objects in the archive, all of which have little in common other than the fact that their provenance usually includes, at some stage, the desire of a previous owner that they should come into the care of the Admiralty, the War Office or, more recently, the MOD.
This painting was part of a large restoration project undertaken on eight extraordinary bird paintings that hang in Amport House. The work was carried out by the conservation studio of Alexandra Walker whose painstaking work uncovered the signature of Tobias Stranover on three of the paintings. In each case, several layers of late nineteenth century varnish were removed and consolidation work undertaken to the painted surface beneath.
Several of the paintings were relined before being placed on new stretchers. The finished paintings are now stable and will need no further restoration for many years. They have been returned to Amport House in Andover.