IPSWICH.- The restoration of a famous oil painting by John Constable has revealed an image of a tiny kingfisher which was never previously known about.

“We are very excited by the discovery of a kingfisher that had been hidden for two centuries after being painted over by Constable. The Millstream had not been cleaned for 100 years and conservator Ros Whitehouse has also brought the painting back to life. We are grateful for her skill and to the Constable Trust for generously supporting the cleaning.” Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Culture portfolio-holder, Ipswich Borough Council

The Millstream had not been cleaned for about 100 years. The varnish put on 100 years ago had begun to discolour and yellow. This obscures the painting.

The varnish was painstakingly removed by the conservator, the painting was cleaned, and any small amounts of conservation carried out. It was then re-varnished with a modern easily removable varnish that will not yellow as quickly, and will better protect the work.

Some elements of the work became visible for the first time when the varnish was removed. John Constable had changed the chimney on the house. If you look closely you can see the original position.

He had originally painted some birds in the middle of the painting, but them later decided against this and painted over them. Again if you look closely you can see the ghostly images of the two birds. They and the chimney can be seen as over time the paint gets thinner, and once the varnish has been removed they become more visible. The new varnish will disguise them slightly so they will not deter from the viewing of the painting.

The kingfisher was one of the elements that became more visible once the cleaning began. It is only a very small element of the painting but one restorers had no idea was there before they began the cleaning process. It is only a blur of red and blue in the middle of the painting, but one that Constable obviously thought was important.

Restorers have had reports from Flatford that kingfishers still inhabit that part of the river, and one was seen a few weeks ago.

The Millstream now hangs again in the Wolsey Gallery at Christchurch Mansion. It is the most significant collection of Constables outside London.