17th Century Painting on a wall - how to preserve????

[bournonite]

OK - hows this for size?

http://www.heritage-house.org/photos.html

This is a client who wants help - I've never seen anything like it in a private house. Quite bad cracks in the underlying plaster, but the lath seems sound, so I dont think it will fall apart...

Has anyone any suggestions for repair / curation etc - its really a rather spectacular piece of countryside heritage. (The house is in the middle of Wolverhampton town centre!!!!)

Pete

 

[Nemesis]

Dunno who dated it, but I suggest you get someoene who knows what they are doing.

Several centuries out.

 

[bournonite]

So how old do you think it is?

 

[Nemesis]

Possibly 20th century..

 

[Nemesis]

This is 16th century.

http://www.visitledbury.co.uk/talbot/painted%20room/ledburypaintedroom.htm

 

[Nemesis]

It's a bit of pastiche rural idyll, may date from the end of the 19th century if you are lucky. But it could be later.

 

[Geoffrey]

Style looks Victorian to me but I'm no expert - as Evelyn says it could be a recent pastiche. It looks in quite good nick from the photo. But definitely not early 17th century.

 

[Gervase]

Looks to be Victorian - probably late Victorian pastiche of an 18th century naive style. Worth keeping in good nick, however - and worth bringing in a proper conservator to advise. If you get stuck locally, contact the Courtauld Institute - they have details of conservators across the UK.

 

[Nemesis]

I suspect it's early 20th century - could be later even -and it's not exactly Helen Allingham.

Interesting, worth preserving, but not great art.

 

[biffvernon]

Is there a course I can go on called "Dating murals only seen as low res pics on the Net", so that I can join in this game?

PS I think it's lovely. I wish it were in my bedroom.

 

[Lynn]

Biff Inever thought you'd be that desperate for a date...

 

[biffvernon]

Well if you think I'm going all the way to Wisconsin...


By the way, Pete, It's not really Hartlebury Castle is it?

 

[Nemesis]

Low or high res - it's not 17th century! And it's not too hard to guess a date.

Some of us have a bit of art history background... allied to some architectural history. And social history.

 

[Nemesis]

Anyhow - see if you can identify the chimney pot:


http://users.breathe.com/yorick/potspot/rules.htm

 

[biffvernon]

it's not exactly Helen Allingham.

Noo. Pete's picture is much more interesting. Here's some Helen Allingham pics for those who don't know what Evelyn's on about.

 

[Nemesis]

Her cottage scenes may have been slightly idealised, but they existed - and many still exist today.

There is no doubting the quality of her work though.

 

[Jocelyn]

I'd say it is a 20th c piece of whimsy. Analyse a paint sample .

 

[middi]

Definetely worth getting someone in to look at them .

Not someone like me, for all I know they could be some of Constable's practice fresco's.

 

[Nemesis]

It's not Rex Whistler either!

 

[bournonite]

Dont happen to know where theres a couple going free do you - very nice they are too...

As for the pots.......... I think it would be desirable to set up a training scheme for pot maintenance - so many of them are not bedded properly, and allow water to pour unchecked down the chimneys, thus allowing leaching of the lime mortar in the joints, which produces salts, which leach into the lime plasterwork, which cause irreperable damage to the Helen Allingham paintings on the walls of 17th century thatched, cruck framed houses........