Preservationists and other fans of Maxfield Parrish’s beloved 1909 “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” don’t have long to wait before the painting returns to its place at the Palace Hotel. It goes back up Aug. 22. That’s after the hotel changed its mind about auctioning it off following an outcry that included a phone call from Mayor Ed Lee. San Francisco Business Times’ Renee Frojo says the newly-restored Piper may look better than ever:
Conservationists also found a layer of aging resin that over the years has diluted the vibrancy of the Pied Piper’s colors. That resin was removed, and the painting was cleaned and treated with a non-yellowing, re-saturating varnish to reveal the painting’s true colors.
Image: San Francisco Heritage
