conservator

With the fossilised remains of its bones in their hands, conservators Lu Allington-Jones and Kieran Miles expertly assemble the skeleton on to a metal frame.

The county Public Guardian serves as a conservator for vulnerable disabled residents, but can’t accept nameless cases.

He said the fact the painting is unvarnished – meaning it is "open to the environment" – will pose an additional challenge to conservators.

Brightman hired Kiernan Graves, a wall-painting conservator who specializes in murals and frescoes, to see what she could find beneath what turned out to be more than nine layers of paint.

She said it "passed through the hands of experts, conservators, auctioneers, dealers, and collectors from London to Toronto".