Fuller lips, reworked hair... 17th-century portrait reveals 'Kylie Jenner treatment'

Conservators working with the English Heritage charity have uncovered a fascinating revelation about a 17th-century portrait in their collection. The painting, depicting Diana Cecil, a prominent figure from the Jacobean era, was discovered to have undergone what is popularly referred to in this century as the "Kylie Jenner treatment," media reports said.

This involved alterations to enhance the subject's lips and modify their hairline, similar to the cosmetic preferences associated with the famous influencer, Kylie Jenner.

Diana Cecil, born in 1596 and recognised as a beauty of her time, belonged to a powerful noble family with close ties to Elizabeth I's court.

The portrait is set to be displayed at Kenwood, a neoclassical villa in London. It underwent meticulous conservation efforts that unveiled the authentic features of Cecil.

Reports suggest that an artist in a later period, between the 17th and 19th centuries, had made significant adjustments to her portrait, to uplift her appearance.

Now, the restoration process involved the removal of an aging layer of varnish, exposing the fact that Cecil's lips were overpainted to give the illusion of fullness, and her hair was reworked to create a smaller forehead.

What is making conservators curious?

The choice to modify these features, as English Heritage noted, is intriguing. It is because the changes done in the painting seem to be going beyond just repairing the damages caused by rolling it widthways.

In the process of removing the varnish, another captivating discovery was made within the painting. It is the portrait's date which was revealed as 1634, along with the signature of the original artist, Cornelius Johnson. This revelation added an extra layer of historical context to the tale of Diana Cecil's transformed portrait.

English Heritage's curator at Kenwood Louise Cooling said,"As a modern society with access to digital beauty filters and AI technology, we might think we know better than most eras the temptation to ‘perfect’ our appearance, but the conservation work to Diana Cecil has shown that this is not a new phenomenon.”

“Arbitrary and ever-changing beauty standards do seem to echo through the ages, although in this case Diana had no say in the ‘improvements’ made to her portrait centuries after it was painted.”

Alice Tate-Harte, collections conservator (fine art) at English Heritage, said, “As a paintings conservator I am often amazed by the vivid and rich colours that reveal themselves as I remove old, yellowing varnish from portraits, but finding out Diana’s features had been changed so much was certainly a surprise."

(With inputs from agencies)