Issue 45 Feb 25 web - Flipbook - Page 15
It was discovered through analysis that the decorative
mouldings belonging to the off white joinery had been
gilded 9 times prior to our restoration treatment. Records
show that these mouldings had first been gilded from
1780. At some stage the fluting of the columns had been
overpainted in bronze paint which had badly oxidised,
now reinstated with 23.5 carat gold leaf.
had been gilded with imitation silver leaf and the flat
background had been overpainted with a rich cream. This
scheme was out of place and looked very tired, creating
altogether the wrong aesthetic.
The work on The Temple Room ceiling commenced in
June 2020. Cleaning tests were carried out before to
inform the least invasive method. The ceiling was in
generally fair structural condition but did require plaster
consolidation and some stabilisation. Water ingress had
damaged the original plaster of one large square panel and
had been repaired with modern plasterboard. The area
around was propped while the plasterboard repair was
cut out to allow for investigation of the area which
corresponded to a bathroom upstairs.
Chroma Conservation Ltd. (along with everyone
else involved in the project) were delighted upon the
completion of the conservation and restoration treatment
that the state drawing room was highly commended in
The Georgian Group architectural awards in October
2021.
Marta Sledz Wilson MA(Cons.) MSc(Econ.)
The ceiling structure was examined and no damage or
any structural issues were found. The area was then
repaired and re- plastered. Minor cracks were present all
over the ceiling and coving and those were raked out,
filled, primed, and painted. Many details, such as the fine
leaves of the ribs were damaged or completely missing.
These were re-constructed and re-attached before
painting and gilding of the whole ceiling.
Following all the preparation the re-decoration started
with primer stain block paint and undercoat applied on
all areas. A yellow eggshell background was applied as a
ground for the gilding. We used 23.5 carat gold for gilded
elements and platinum for the eagles. All three varying
pink shades were used and were prepared by Patrick Baty
at Paper and Paints.
Above, ceiling before our treatment
Below, ceiling conservation
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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