Painted Wood: Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works History and Williamsburg, Virginia November 1994 Conservation

PROCEEDINGS Symposium Organized by the Wooden Artifacts Group of the American Institute for Painted Wood: Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works History and Williamsburg, Virginia November 1994 Conservation The Getty Conservation Institute Painted Wood: History and Conservation Proceedings of a symposium organized by the Wooden Artifacts Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and the Foundation of the AIC, held at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Williamsburg, Virginia 11–14 November 1994 Edited by Valerie Dorge and F. Carey Howlett T G C I L A Cover: Detail, polychrome tester bedstead (ca. 1580–1630) from Burderop House, Wiltshire, England, now at Agecroft Hall, Richmond, Virginia. Photo courtesy of the Agecroft Association. Dinah Berland, Managing Editor Nomi Kleinmuntz, Copy Editor Anita Keys, Production Coordinator Jeffrey Cohen, Series Designer Hespenheide Design, Book Designer Printed in Singapore 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 © 1998 by The J. Paul Getty Trust All rights reserved. The Getty Conservation Institute works internationally to further the appreciation and preservation of the world’s cultural heritage for the enrichment and use of present and future generations. The Institute is an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust. The Getty Conservation Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution of the Polly M. Stone 1992 Trust toward the color printing of this publication. The listing of product names and suppliers in this book is provided for information purposes only and is not intended as an endorsement by the Getty Conservation Institute. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Painted wood : history & conservation / edited by Valerie Dorge and F. Carey Howlett. p. cm. Proceedings of a symposium organized by the Wooden Artifacts Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, held in Williamsburg, Va., 11–14 Nov. 1994. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-89236-501-3 1. Painted woodwork—Conservation and restoration—Congresses. 2. Painted furniture— Conservation and restoration—Congresses. I. Dorge, Valerie, 1946– . II. Howlett, F. Carey, 1950– . III. American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Wooden Artifacts Group. NK9604.5.P35 1998 97-36527 745.7Ј2Ј0288—dc21 CIP Contents Miguel Angel Corzo vii Foreword Valerie Dorge viii Preface F. Carey Howlett P ART ONE Understanding and Indentifying Materials R. Bruce Hoadley 2 Wood as a Physical Surface for Paint Application David Erhardt 17 Paints Based on Drying-Oil Media Richard Newman 33 Tempera and Other Nondrying-Oil Media James S. Martin 64 Microscopic Examination and Analysis of the Structure and Composition of Paint and Varnish Layers PART TWO Historical Perspectives Myriam Serck-Dewaide 82 Support and Polychromy of Altarpieces from Brussels, Mechlin, and Antwerp Study, Comparison, and Restoration Nancie C. Ravenel 100 Painted Italian Picture Frames in the Samuel H. Kress Foundation Collection at the National Gallery of Art Ian C. Bristow 110 The Imitation of Natural Materials in Architectural Interiors James Yorke 120 Royal Painted Furniture in King Charles I’s England Elizabeth White 128 Perished Perches: The Evidence for English Painted Wooden Furniture in Eighteenth-Century Gardens Susan L. Buck 143 Shaker Painted Furniture Provocative Insights into Shaker Paints and Painting Techniques PART THREE Historical Materials and Techniques Hans Portsteffen 156 Form and Polychromy: Two Different Concepts in One Object Notes on Seventeenth-Century Sculpture Workshop Practices in Bavaria Renate Gold 166 Reconstruction and Analysis of Bismuth Painting Margaret J. Ballardie 179 Japanning in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Europe A Brief Discussion of Some Materials and Methods Laurence Libin 186 Painted Harpsichords Frances Gruber Safford 194 Floral Painting on Early Eighteenth-Century American Furniture at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Luiz A. C. Souza 206 Chinese Motifs in the Baroque Art of Minas Gerais, Cristina Avila Brazil Historical and Technical Aspects Chris A. Shelton 217 A Short Primer on the White-Painted Furnishings of Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia Jonathan Thornton 226 The Use of Dyes and Colored Varnishes in Wood Polychromy Robert D. Mussey Jr. 242 Verte Antique Decoration on American Furniture History, Materials, Techniques, Technical Investigations Nancy N. Odegaard 255 An Investigation of the Nature of Paint on Wood Objects in the Indigenous Southwest of North America Mark A. Harpainter 268 The Painted Furniture and Wooden Decorative Arts of Christopher C. Augerson Lucia and Arthur Mathews P ART FOUR Investigations and Treatment Michele D. Marincola 278 Monochromy, Polychromy, and Authenticity Jack Soultanian The Cloisters’ Standing Bishop Attributed to Tilman Riemenschneider Anna C. Hulbert 287 Conservation of the Fourteenth-Century Ceiling at Saint Helen’s Church, Abingdon Claude Payer 301 The Interior Decor of the Ursuline Chapel in Marie-Claude Corbeil Quebec City Colombe Harvey Research and Conservation Elizabeth Moffatt Elizabeth Howard Schmidt 318 The Painted Tester Bedstead at Agecroft Hall Marianne Webb 328 Four Japanned Cabinets: A Variety of Techniques Andrea M. Gilmore 337 The Hunnewell Cottage Preservation and Re-creation of a Nineteenth-Century Exterior Paint Scheme Marc A. Williams 345 Technology and Conservation of Decorative Surface Merri M. Ferrell Systems of Horse-Drawn Vehicles Jennifer Baker Merri M. Ferrell 363 The Importance of Conservation to Research: A Case Study Stephen L. Ray 373 The Treatment of Painted Wooden Folk Art Julie A. Reilly Rick H. Parker 383 Jeffrey: Horse of a Different Color Peter L. Sixbey PART FIVE Ethical Considerations Andrew Todd 400 Painted Memory, Painted Totems Wendy Hartman Samet 412 The Philosophy of Aesthetic Reintegration: Paintings and Painted Furniture Valerie Reich Hunt 424 Conservation of Folk Art: Shelburne Museum’s Collection and Approach Lynne Dakin Hastings 437 Collaborations Past and Present: A Classical Deborah Bigelow Success Story Deborah S. Gordon 454 Applied Aesthetics: Restoring the Original Cornice Decoration at Olana PART SIX Scientific Research Marion F. Mecklenberg 464 Structural Response of Painted Wood Surfaces Charles S. Tumosa to Changes in Ambient Relative Humidity David Erhardt Eric F. Hansen 484 Factors Affecting the Re-Treatment of Previously Mitchell Hearns Bishop Consolidated Matte Painted Wooden Objects Stefan Michalski 498 The Ultrasonic Mister Carole Dignard Applications in the Consolidation of Powdery Paint Lori van Handel on Wooden Artifacts David Arnold Richard C. Wolbers 514 Poly(2-Ethyl-2-Oxazoline): A New Conservation Mary McGinn Consolidant Deborah Duerbeck 529 Contributors 537 Illustration Credits vii Foreword is probably one of the most ambitious publications projects undertaken to date by the Getty Conservation Institute Tand certainly the largest in the GCI’s Proceedings series. And it is quite appropriate that it be so because the subject matter requires a com- prehensive outlook. The importance of painted wood, its beauty, its many forms, and its complexity in the context of conservation required such an approach, particularly given the rapid advance of our knowledge in this area in the past few years. The book had its origin with the symposium organized by the Wooden Artifacts Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. This was a landmark event that required a full treatment of its contents. Under the dedicated, disciplined, and enthusiastic editorship of Valerie Dorge and F. Carey Howlett, the present volume encompasses a wealth of material representing the breadth and depth of contributions to that symposium. From the mechanisms to understand and identify the materials that make up painted wood objects to the various factors affecting objects and surfaces, through the multiple analyses, techniques, and treatments of the diversity of painted wood surfaces, this publication attempts to provide an up-to-date compilation of information that would be welcomed by conservators, scientists, art historians, curators, artists, and all those interested in the fascinating array of painted wooden objects created since the earliest times. One of the Getty Conservation Institute’s goals is to contribute information and knowledge about cultural heritage to all those engaged in the conservation and protection of the cultural heritage. This publication is an example of the Institute’s commitment to making that information available in ways that are illustrative, accessible, and relevant to the field. We are delighted to have joined our effort to those of the AIC to bring this volume to professionals and students alike. The contents of the publication, the fine quality of its illustrations, and its format will hopefully be a significant contribution to the study of painted wood. We welcome your comments and hope that you will find as much joy and fascination in the publication as its designers, authors, and editors brought to its creation. Miguel Angel Corzo D The Getty Conservation Institute viii Preface is as old as the human desire to protect an object, or simply to decorate a surface,” notes Bruce THoadley in this volume. Indeed, throughout history, artists and artisans have combined a myriad of pigments, binders, and woods in countless forms. Whether made from common, locally found materials or from exotic commodities obtained through elaborate trade networks, such creations may

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