Our next preview of the symposium comes from two of our own Conservation tutors, Dr Tracey Chaplin (Microscopy and Technical Examination) and Alison Seed (History of Pigments and Microscopy), who will be presenting A Case Study of Two Paintings Affected by Mould and their Technical Analysis.
www.cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk/dr-tracy-chaplin
www.cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk/alison-seed
Two large early twentieth-century paintings at The Palace of Westminster, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon before Papal Legates at Blackfriars by Frank Salisbury and Latimer Preaching Before Edward VI at Paul’s Cross by Ernest Board, were severely affected by a number of water leaks while on display, causing flaking of the paint and extensive mould growth.
Technical analysis was carried out in order to inform conservation work, including UV light, cross-section analysis and microchemical testing, Raman spectroscopy, polarised light microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Easel paintings conservator Alison Seed, and conservation scientist Dr Tracey Chaplin will discuss their work on the paintings including the paint analysis, and the information it revealed about the artists’ use of pigments and painting techniques.
