Protesters finds guilty of John Constable masterpiece damage

• Two Just Stop Oil demonstrators have been convicted of damaging John Constable artwork.
• Hay Wain was taped over by Eben Lazarus, 22, and Hannah Hunt, 23, in July.
• The painting was repaired and given a glass sheet before it was put back on display.

A John Constable masterpiece was criminally damaged by two Just Stop Oil demonstrators, who have been convicted guilty of their crimes.

The Hay Wain was taped over the original artwork on July 4 by Eben Lazarus, 22, and Hannah Hunt, 23, both of Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

They later applied glue to its frame in The National Gallery, according to evidence presented before Westminster Magistrates Court.

According to prosecutor Jonathan Bryan KC, the picture was repaired and given a glass sheet before it was put back on display.

The demonstrators testified before the court that they made “a concerted attempt” to protect Constable’s artwork.

The original masterwork, which was painted in 1821, depicts a cart going back to the fields for another load in a rural Suffolk landscape.

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“Important works of art which form part of a nation’s heritage need to be protected,” he added.

The protesters taped three printed posters on the artwork, the court heard.

The court heard CCTV footage of Lazarus and Hunt adhering to the frame of the painting while donning Just Stop Oil t-shirts.

Prior to their arrest, it also captured them making statements on camera.

The court was told Although the Hay Wain was not harmed, the varnish on top and the surrounding frame were.

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According to a statement read aloud by Mr. Bryan from Larry Keith, the gallery’s head of conservation, the restoration of the painting cost £1,081.

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