What happens when you come to own a very old painting that’s in need of some tender loving care? For pity’s sake, don’t break out the soap and water.

That’s just what I did recently, with a very dingy, dirty oil on canvas that I picked up at a local auction. The painting depicts the Annunciation, that moment described in the Bible when Mary consents to become the mother of Jesus.

Underneath all the surface grime and cracking, I suspected it was probably a Northern Italian piece by a lesser artist, dating from the second half of the 17th century. Despite its rather sorry state of preservation, the painting struck me as a work of art that had lived a rough life, but was still worth saving.
Enter Katja Grauman, a professional art restorer I discovered online. After seeing the before and after examples on her site, I knew that if anyone could unlock the hidden potential in this dirty, disintegrating bit of painted old cloth, she could. I recently sat down with her in her Virginia studio, to discuss what she had to do to bring this very old work of art back from the brink, and what it takes to be an art restorer.