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The reversal of darkened lead white pigments
Posted: January 11, 2021The darkening of lead white pigments is a common feature of many works of art on paper. It’s effects can be reversed using ethereal hydrogen peroxide, with sometimes startling results. -
Conservation and rehousing of an important medieval document
Posted: January 11, 2021A UK university needed to conserve and upgrade the storage and display of an important historic medieval document, so that it could be transported and exhibited safely. -
Restoration of a sixteen century atlas
Posted: January 11, 2021Historic atlases are among the most beautiful, and valuable, printed books. The conservation of this volume not only aimed to repair and preserve it, but also to restore it’s aesthetic qualities. -
The mounting and framing of a large and heavy modern work
Posted: January 10, 2021A series of large, heavy and fragile collages consisting of photographs, crayon, pastel, concrete and emulsion paint had spent many years in a box. The owner wanted to enjoy the items, so we developed a method of mounting them safely and securely in a series of deep frames. -
Restoration of important archival documents
Posted: January 9, 2021Archival conservation does not have to be basic and crude, especially where the documents are important. We approach their treatment as one would a watercolour or drawing. -
Large scale conservation and rehousing of mixed Archives
Posted: January 9, 2021Over half of my studio work involves the conservation and preservation of large and diverse archival collections. -
Kushite Chapel of Osiris Neb-ankh, Karnak, Egypt
Posted: January 6, 2021Technical examination and imaging of 25th Dynasty paintings -
Rare Turquoise Pear Shaped Vase, Qianlong seal mark and of the period 1736 – 1795.
Posted: January 6, 2021The vase had one large section broken from the rim with small associated losses and a stained hairline crack running round the belly. In order to ready the vase for sale the owner wanted to improve the stability and visual impact of the vase. -
The Mansfield Traquair Centre (Edinburgh) – Phoebe Anna Traquair murals scheme
Posted: January 3, 2021The Mansfield Traquair Centre is a former Catholic Apostolic Church which was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and completed in 1885. The outstanding feature is the scheme of mural decoration painted by Phoebe Anna Traquair in the 1890s. The building is open to the public when not in use for functions. In the spring of 2018, The Mansfield Traquair Trust commissioned Scottish Wall Paintings Conservators (SWPC) to carry out a quinquennial condition survey of the Phoebe Traquair murals scheme. The survey discovered that urgent conservation treatment was required to consolidate vulnerable, actively flaking paint in a number of locations around the building. It also highlighted maintenance issues on the roof that had been caused by a run of extreme storms. -
Lews Castle, Morning Room (Stornoway, Outer Hebrides) – revealing, conserving and restoring Victorian murals scheme
Posted: January 2, 2021Lews Castle was built in the 1840s as the country seat for Sir James Matheson with his fortune made from the Chinese opium trade. In 1918 the castle was bought by industrialist Lord Leverhulme, who gifted it to the people of Stornoway parish in 1923. However, Lews Castle gradually fell into disrepair and had been unoccupied since the late 1990s. As part of development plans to renovate the castle as a hotel, museum and cultural centre, Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) commissioned Scottish Wall Paintings Conservators to uncover, conserve and restore the remains of an elaborate Victorian murals scheme in the Morning Room.
