Technical Case Study
Taken from a report by Jane Davies Conservation
Paint detectives
In order to inform the redecoration of the Small Concert Room, architectural paint research was commissioned. A combination of non -invasive examination of the decorative surfaces in situ, analysis of over 300 paint and substrate samples along with archival research concluded that the room had been redecorated on at least four, if not five, different occasions. The existing design differed considerably from Cockerell’s original intentions. The modern design had the ceiling mostly white, with larger margins coloured beige and the smaller margins of triangular ventilation panels were bright blue. The colours were much more strident than those originally used, which meant that the ceiling was visually ‘broken up’ into different areas. The original, more subtle colours would have emphasised the structures whilst allowing the eye to flow over the ceiling, and the spectator to view it as an unbroken whole. The off-white which had been used to pick out the ornamentation had been replaced by a stark white colour, which also added to the ‘breaking up’ of the decoration.
None of the gilding sampled was original, and it was discovered that the placement of the gilding had been adjusted with each successive decoration, so that it differed significantly from its original placement. Large areas of gilding had been coated with Dutch metal, a faux gold paint. This bronze-based mixture does not have the same brilliance as gold leaf, and deteriorates to a drab brown colour in a relatively short period of time.
The painted graining to the wall panels, although of very high quality, did not appear to be original. The re-working must have been carried out at an early date. Practical joinery elements, especially those which had been exposed to the greatest wear and tear, such as the balustrades at the ends of the seating area, were discovered to have up to seven graining schemes present.
Jane Davies Conservation produced a fully comprehensive report on the historical redecorations of the room. She detailed the different colours present at each redecoration as can be seen in the pdf (click here to download)
Ceiling coffer with the accumulation of two hundred years of dirt and coffer after cleaning
Small Concert Room Pre Decoration
Concert Room in Scaffolding
Here are two examples of her paint sampling and analysis in different areas. The first is taken from the ceiling, while the second is from the ground floor wall panel (graining).
Paint sampling and analysis in different areas
