Anne Thomas brought a 150-year-old family portrait to The Repair Shop, admitting she had 'rather foolishly' attempted to restore the painting herself before expert Lucia Scalisi took over. The portrait depicted her great-great-grandfather, John Durdin, who had a remarkable and troubled history.
A family secret revealed
Before the restoration began, viewers learned about John Durdin's past. He worked as a banker's clerk but falsified accounts in the ledgers he was responsible for, stealing from the bank for over a decade before being caught. Despite his family moving to an expensive house and wearing wealthy clothing, he would change when he went to work to avoid arousing suspicion about his financial crimes.
After suffering a stroke and being paralysed down one side, John could no longer work, and his crimes were discovered while he was bedridden. It emerged that he owed the bank approximately £70,000, which in contemporary terms would equal roughly £10 million. The magnitude of the sum compelled the bank to cease operations as they were unable to continue trading.
Imprisonment and legacy
John was ultimately imprisoned for 14 years with hard labour. He emerged as 'a broken man' and passed away just two years following his release. Describing the artwork as 'remarkable', Anne revealed it had been handed down through generations but had endured 'a bit of a beating'.
Realising the painting had suffered damage after being moved to various locations, Anne admitted she 'rather foolishly' painted the areas herself, adding she wasn't 'very proud' about it. During Lucia's examination, she spotted Anne's attempted restoration, explaining to viewers that watercolour had been used but had unfortunately smudged onto the original paintwork in the process.
Expert restoration
Lucia confessed she was 'more concerned' about spotting areas on the painting which had been retouched much earlier than Anne. The BBC star noted it was 'a little bit worrying' that somebody had attempted repairs prior to Anne's intervention.
In the end, Lucia successfully restored the item to its former condition, with the cracks no longer noticeable. As Anne was blown away, she commented: "Wow, that face has been semi-hidden, and he's there. You've done an incredible job. I'll be so glad to welcome him home."
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
