This case study of water-damaged oil painting restoration by Fine Art Conservation Laboratories shows how the early Southern California historic portrait of Don Manuel Domínguez was saved after severe water damage and previous inept restorations.

If you walk into the parlor of the Rancho San Pedro Dominguez Adobe in the Los Angeles area (Museum Dominguez Adobe) today, you’re greeted by the steady gaze of Don Manuel Domínguez. At the time this portrait was painted in 1864, Manuel Domínguez owned, defended and cultivated the 43,119-acre Rancho San Pedro, one of the earliest and largest land grants in what would become Los Angeles County. The black coat, white shirtfront, and composed expression all signal a man used to responsibility and public life. The painting looks calm, dignified—and solid. Yet the Manuel Dominguez portrait restoration discussed in this blog post has been a complex rescue project after serious water damage, scraping, and heavy overpainting.

What this article means for you personally – Of course, we have written this article hoping you are entertained, better informed and perhaps it sparks the historian inside of you. By the time Fine Art Conservation Laboratories (FACL) this painting, it was not just damaged—the lifting paint threatened by another chance of being lost. This is the story of how the portrait was nearly destroyed (first by water, then by inept restoration techniques), how it was saved, and what this story can teach you if you ever face a water-damaged painting or heirloom of your own. So, this article will be of special interest to anyone with artwork that’s been damage by water (see the section with tips on “What You SHOULD Do If Your Painting Gets Wet” later on in this article)… or if you know someone who has a damaged painting, they will greatly appreciate your passing this along to them. Finding the right person or lab to correct these problems properly is difficult. Check out this video…

The water-damaged 19th-century portrait of Don Manuel Domínguez for the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum is returned after the art conservation work. See surprise photo at end of video!

This mid-19th-century oil portrait of Manuel Domínguez, painted by Solomon Nunes Carvalho in 1864, has in its past been through almost everything you don’t want a historic painting to endure: serious water damage, a shrinking and buckling canvas, widespread “tent cleavage” where the paint literally lifted off the fabric, an attempt at restoration including crude scraping of loose paint, and repainting that buried the original image under layers of thick wax and guesswork.

Who Was Manuel Domínguez—and Why Does His Portrait Matter?

This is not just a random 19th-century gentleman in a dark coat. Manuel Domínguez (1803–1882) was one of the key figures in the transition from Spanish and Mexican California to the American state of California.

Born at the Presidio of San Diego, Manuel became heir to Rancho San Pedro, a vast land grant that once covered much of what is now Compton, Carson, the Harbor area, and parts of the South Bay. As a young man he helped turn the rancho into a thriving cattle operation and a political power center. Talented with good bilingual talents, he was a bridge between the two cultures, something that was very advantageous (as it is today).

Dominguez was:
• Twice Alcalde (mayor) of Los Angeles during the Mexican period
• One of the delegates who helped draft and sign California’s first state constitution in 1849
• A determined defender of the family land grant through decades of legal and political change. This was an important political “power” as he had seen the land grant he inherited reduced from about 72,000 acres (when it was created by the King of Spain) to about 43,000 acres by the time he inherited it.

In 1826 he began building the Dominguez Rancho Adobe on a low rise above the floodplain. That home—where his portrait now hangs—became the social and administrative center of Rancho San Pedro and a gathering place for powerful Californianos, visiting dignitaries, and travelers.

Today, the Dominguez family’s land and decisions still echo in place names and businesses across the region. Streets, schools, and even a state university bear the Dominguez name. When visitors stand in the Adobe’s parlor and meet Manuel’s eyes in this portrait, they’re looking at one of the major players who helped shape Southern California’s landscape and identity and whose family connections continue today, economically and politically.

Beyond his lifetime, Manuel Domínguez’s decisions helped shape the physical and civic map of Southern California. Portions of his original rancho later became the sites of modern cities such as the city of Carson, parts of the city of Compton and the San Pedro Harbor area. His family’s land holdings supported companies and institutions that continue to influence the region. His name lives on in places like California State University, Dominguez Hills and Manuel Dominguez High School, reminders that this portrait does not just show an individual—it represents a family name whose choices still echo across Los Angeles today. In addition, one of Manuel and Maria’s daughters married into the family that became the Watson Land Company.

The Artist: Solomon Nunes Carvalho

The painting adds another layer of significance because of who painted it. Solomon Nunes Carvalho was a Sephardic Jewish artist and photographer from the East Coast, known for serving as photographer on John C. Frémont’s fifth expedition across the American West.

After barely surviving that journey, Carvalho reached Los Angeles in the mid-1850s and stayed with the Domínguez family at Rancho San Pedro. During that visit he painted portraits of Manuel, his wife María Engracia de Cota Domínguez, and other leading Californians. The Domínguez portrait is one of the rare visual records of that meeting between Old California ranchero society and a pioneering Jewish American artist. Sig. Dominguez was 61 years old when the portrait was painted in 1864 (apparently the artist was sensitive to the Don’s “suggestions” that he be painted looking younger).

So when we talk about “saving a painting,” we are really talking about protecting a crossroads of cultures and histories in one fragile historical and fine art object.

What Went Wrong: Water, Tent Cleavage, and Scraping

At some point in its later life, the portrait was exposed to water. Whether from a leak, a flood, or firefighting efforts, the result was the same: The canvas fibers swelled and then shrank, causing the brittle painting layers to crack, lift, and curl away from the surface.

[INSERT “BEFORE” PHOTO HERE – CAPTION: “Before conservation: the portrait of Don Manuel Domínguez showed severe water damage, tent cleavage, wax build-up, and crude overpainting.” ALT TEXT: “Water-damaged Manuel Dominguez portrait before restoration by Fine Art Conservation Laboratories.”]

Conservators call this most alarming condition “tent cleavage”—ridges of paint lifting up along cracks, like thousands of miniature tents pitched across the surface. The paint is still clinging in places, but only just. One touch or vibration can make those islands snap off, turning temporary risk into permanent loss.

Instead of stabilizing the lifting paint, someone with neither the training nor the tools of a professional conservator took a scraper to the surface of the artwork as if they were cleaning off the old paint from the side of a building. The fragile paint was shaved away. Original detail disappeared. Large areas were then filled with wax, repainted, not once but several times, by different hands because of continuing problems trying to “fix” what had been damaged. The instability of the wax caused massive bubbling of the original paint it was meant to consolidate and the repainting.

[INSERT “IN-PROGRESS” PHOTO HERE – CAPTION: “During treatment: as wax and overpaint are reduced, Solomon Carvalho’s original brushwork and Manuel Domínguez’s true features begin to reappear.” ALT TEXT: “Partially cleaned Manuel Dominguez portrait showing original paint emerging from under overpaint.”]

By the time the portrait arrived at Fine Art Conservation Laboratories, Solomon Carvalho’s careful painting was buried under tinted putty, a massive amount of wax, and modern paint. Only a minimal amount of the original painting could be seen.

What Water Does to Paintings (and Why Speed Matters)

The Domínguez portrait is dramatic, but the basic pattern is common in our lab:

1. Supports move. Canvases swell and shrink. Wood panels warp and cup.

2. Paint films can’t keep up. They crack, lift, and flake.

3. Moisture leaves stains and tide lines. Dirty water dries into brown streaks and blotches.

4. Mold joins the party. In a warm, damp environment, mold can start within a couple of days.

The painting may look “dry” after a week, but inside the structure it can be unstable and actively shedding original material.

If a painting or family portrait gets wet, the first hours and days matter. The right steps can save it. The wrong steps—or well-intentioned scrubbing and scraping—can cause far more damage than the water itself.

What You SHOULD Do If Your Painting Gets Wet

If you ever find yourself staring at a wet or warped painting, here are the basic emergency steps our conservators at FACL recommend:

• Keep the painting flat or upright and handle it as little as possible.

  • Gently blot standing water, if flaking will permit, with clean, lint-free cloths—no rubbing.

  • Move it to a cool, dry, well-ventilated space, away from heaters, fireplaces, or direct sun.

  • Take clear photos of the damage for insurance and records.

  • Call a professional art conservator quickly for specific instructions.

And just as important, what not to do:

• Don’t wipe, scrub, or “wash” the surface.

  • Don’t use hair dryers, heaters, or fans blowing directly on the painting.

  • Don’t press down flaking paint or try to scrape off bubbles, stains, or mold.

  • Don’t re-stretch or try to flatten a distorted canvas on your own.

The portrait of Manuel Domínguez shows exactly what can happen when someone ignores those last points. More original paint was lost to scraping and amateur repainting than to the initial water damage.

How Professional Conservation Saved the Manuel Dominguez Portrait

When the Domínguez Rancho Adobe Museum sent the portrait to Fine Art Conservation Laboratories (https://www.fineartconservationlab.com) for professional portrait restoration, the request was clear: save as much original material as possible, make the painting stable for long-term display, and recover Manuel’s likeness so visitors could once again connect with the original portrait of the man behind the history.

The treatment unfolded in four broad stages.

1. Examination and Research

Before anyone picked up a tool, the painting was examined under magnification and raking light to map every crack, loss, and area of overpaint. Ultraviolet light helped distinguish original 19th-century paint from later restorations. The back of the canvas and stretcher were studied for earlier repairs.

Other historic images and other Carvalho portraits were consulted to understand how Manuel would have originally looked—his features, clothing, and the way the artist handled light and shadow. This research guided later decisions about how far inpainting should go and where we needed to respect gaps in the surviving evidence.

[INSERT DETAIL PHOTO HERE – CAPTION: “Under magnification, conservators test solvents and adhesives to safely stabilize flaking paint and reduce later overpaint.” ALT TEXT: “Conservator working under magnification on the face of Manuel Domínguez’s portrait during restoration.”]

2. Structural Stabilization

Because of the earlier water damage and tent cleavage, stabilizing the structure of the painting came first.

• Lifting paint was gently re-adhered using conservation-grade adhesives introduced under the flakes with tiny brushes and syringes, then set down with controlled pressure.

  • Distortions in the canvas were relaxed with carefully controlled humidity and pressure so the picture plane could return to a more even surface.

  • Where the original canvas had been badly weakened, a new support was added to share the stress and give the painting strength for years to come.

[INSERT PHOTO OF REVERSE/SUPPORT HERE – CAPTION: “The weakened original canvas was reinforced with a new support to give the portrait long-term structural stability.” ALT TEXT: “Back of Manuel Domínguez’s portrait showing new support added during conservation.”]

Only when the paint layers and canvas were secure could anyone safely think about appearance.

3. Removing Crude Overpaint

The repainted areas that masked Carvalho’s work had to be removed carefully and in layers in order to remove the applications of wax from previous restorers without damaging the original paint.. This is patient work done under magnification:

• Tiny solvent tests were run to find mixtures that would soften modern overpaint while leaving the original intact.

  • In some passages, overpaint was carefully shaved back with scalpels.

  • The goal was not to strip the painting raw, but to uncover and respect the surviving original while removing the most disfiguring modern additions.

As the overpaint was reduced, Carvalho’s hand began to reappear—subtle modeling in the face, convincing volumes in the coat, a believable play of light rather than flat guesswork. What was most exciting, however, was the discovery of the original date, 1864, which was different than what the museum had on record but was confirmed by an entry in the artist’s journal which the museum has in its possession.

4. Visual Reintegration and Finishing

Once the original image was uncovered and the structure stabilized, conservators turned to visual reintegration (inpainting or careful and controlled retouching):

• Losses where paint and ground were completely gone were filled with conservation putties and textured to match the surrounding surface.

  • Using stable, reversible conservation colors, missing areas were carefully inpainted—only where there was enough information to do so honestly.

Ethically, modern inpainting is always distinguishable under close inspection or ultraviolet light, and it can be removed in the future without harming the original. The aim is not to fake a brand-new painting, but to present a coherent, readable image that respects both history and damage.

Finally, a protective varnish was applied to even out the gloss and deepen the colors, giving the surface a unified appearance and providing a sacrificial layer against future airborne grime.

The Result: A Face, a Story, and a Second Chance

[INSERT “AFTER” / INSTALLED PHOTO HERE – CAPTION: “After conservation, the original portrait of Don Manuel Domínguez once again hangs in the parlor of the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum, where visitors can connect with his story and California’s early history.” ALT TEXT: “Completed Manuel Dominguez portrait restoration installed in the parlor of Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum.”]

Today, visitors to the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum (https://dominguezrancho.org) see a dignified original portrait of Manuel Domínguez looking back at them—a founder, landholder, public servant, defender of the faith and head of a far-reaching family whose decisions still shape Southern California. Their daughter María Dolores Simona Domínguez (in the portrait painting with her mother in the same parlor room as Don Dominguez’s portrait) married James A. Watson in 1855; their descendants went on to form Watson Land Company, a major real estate and industrial landholding family still today in the Los Angeles area.

Under close examination, its hard to see where history left its marks and where modern conservation has filled the gaps. The painting once again, now, does its job: it puts a real authentic human face to a larger story of land, law, culture, and change.

For the museum, the successful conservation of this portrait means they can interpret Manuel’s life with an authentic object, not a modern imitation. For us at FACL, it’s a confirmation that even severely damaged paintings—scraped, repainted, and written off by some—can be saved if they reach a professional lab in time.

What This Means for Your Own Paintings and Heirlooms: This kind of water-damaged oil painting restoration requires careful testing, controlled cleaning, and ethical conservation methods to protect the original portrait.

Most people don’t live in historic adobes or active museums, but they do have portraits, landscapes, and family heirlooms that represent their own history. A wedding portrait, a painting inherited from grandparents, a favorite landscape in a vacation home—any of these can be hit by leaks, broken pipes, storms, or firefighting water.

The lesson from Don Manuel’s portrait is simple:

• Water damage is not automatically the end.

  • Amateur “restoration” can be more destructive than the original disaster—and can add significantly to the cost of proper conservation work and long-term preservation.

  • The sooner the right professional conservator is involved, the better the chances of saving both the artwork and the story it carries.

If you’re ever unsure what to do, stop, protect the piece from further harm, and call someone who does quality, professional work every day. If you know someone in this predicament, refer them to this quality help to get answers to their questions and to ally their fears: (FACL, 805 564 3438)

Discuss Your Questions With Fine Art Conservation Laboratories (FACL)

Fine Art Conservation Laboratories has been conserving paintings, murals, and historic artifacts for more than four decades—working with museums, historic sites, churches, public art programs, insurers, and families who simply don’t want to lose what matters to them.

If you’re dealing with a water-damaged painting, an old portrait that’s flaking, or artwork that has already been “helped” by an untrained restorer, we’re happy to talk it through with you.

• Southern California, Utah, and general inquiries: 805-564-3438

  • Las Vegas / regional disaster response: 805-748-0145

A short phone call, some clear photos, and timely professional help can mean the difference between a total loss and a rescued heirloom—just as it did for the Manuel Dominguez portrait restoration at the Rancho San Pedro Dominguez Adobe in the Los Angeles area (Museum Dominguez Adobe).