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THE ROLE OF PAINT ANALYSIS IN THE HISTORIC INTERIOR This article first appeared in
The Journal of Architectural Conservation
. March 1995: 27-37.
Introduction
The assumption made by the visitor to an historic house is that the setting and contents aregenerally displayed in an objective manner. What is seen is how it would have been. But is thisalways the case, and just how was the final look decided upon? Usually a great deal of thoughtwill have gone into the presentation, yet all too often, in spite of high standards of research anddisplay, an element of subjectivity will have crept in. Sometimes this may be more by designthan accident - indeed, recognizing the near impossibility of being completely objective someadministrators pay lip service to authenticity. They attach more importance to the history of their own institutions, regarding them as cultural creations in their own right. The next worryingstep is to argue that an earlier attempt at restoration, no matter how flawed, is itself worthy of  preservation, and interpretation. The result is stagnation, and the rejection of new research.
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Unless the philosophy behind the presentation of a house is made clear to visitors, they may beexcused for being confused, and for questioning the scholarly reconstruction on those fewoccasions that they actually see it.Few would agree that historic houses should provide the visitor with little more thanentertainment and a safe haven from reality. That is in any case a service already admirably provided by the authors of historical romances and the directors of period costume dramas.Good museums should not act as guardians of our sensibilities, cushioning us from theuncomfortable reality of the past. Fact is just as accessible as fiction, and the custodian shouldmake clear the reasons for the appearance of a house and its contents.It may seem far fetched to invest the display of historic interiors with such importance, but it isthe study of their development that contributes to our understanding of our culture and itsinfluences.While much research has been carried out on the contents of early interiors, and similar caretaken with the recreation of an early picture hang, or table setting, the colour of the walls hasrarely been accorded the same degree of serious attention.There can be little excuse for this, since techniques do exist for the accurate investigation of early painted surfaces. It is the reluctance of some authorities to consider the use of suchtechniques that perhaps should be questioned.
Paint analysis
There are two principal purposes behind the analysis of the painted surfaces of an historic building. The first and most obvious is to form an idea of how a room might have looked at anearlier stage of its existence. The aim will usually be to identify the colour of a particular scheme, or to see whether it had been given a special treatment such as gilding, graining, or marbling.
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Facts known about the development of paint and pigments will often enable thespecialist to work out a rough date for individual layers of paint. Until recently, this sort of information has largely been sought only for certain prestigious buildings, and so the examplesthat are given here fall into this category. However, it may equally be obtained from a broader 
 
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range of housing, about which less is known, and fewer records were made.The second reason for analysis might be less concerned with the decoration and more with thearchaeology and the dating of a structure. Working alongside architectural researchers preparing a detailed report on a building, the paint analyst can be used to determine when or where changes have been made. The site of doors or windows that have been filled in, for example, can be determined, as can the rough date of a new floor or extension. Ideally, theinvestigation should only begin after documentary research has been carried out - research whichis likely to identify areas that have been altered, or that will lead to questions that can beanswered by analysis.In Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, a gradual investigation of the painted surfaces in certain of their 18
th
century exhibition buildings has led to a clearer understanding of how the structuresdeveloped. As a result, the architectural research department have been able to form an idea of how the buildings were lived in, how they related to each other, and how their inhabitants prospered.Paint analysis can also be used to disprove myths. The analysis after the fire at Uppark enabledthe National Trust to learn that, far from being an undisturbed time capsule, redecoration hadtaken place in that house throughout the nineteenth century.In the Octagon Room, at Raby Castle, near Darlington, one of the initial aims of recent work was to match the colour of the white painted dado and joinery, and then to redecorate. Analysisestablished, however, that the room had been decorated once only, and that the present schemesurvived from the 1840s. All that was required in this instance was a careful wash down andlocalised touching in of areas of damage. Far better and far less costly to have obtained thisinformation before the intended repaint.Analysis may also be used to record the earlier schemes before they are destroyed. The surfacecoatings may need to be removed because of a build-up of layers that obscure detail; becausewholesale removal needs to be carried out before major repair work can take place; or because poor preparation has revealed itself. Once the paint has been removed nothing can be learnt of the room's original appearance.There are others who will use paint analysis as a guide and as a confidence-giver before devisinga new decorative scheme. They might take what appeals and discard what they consider themore difficult findings - ignoring, perhaps, the gilding and the oak graining. There can be noargument with this so long as no claims are made as to the authenticity of the new scheme.Sadly, however, the fact that analysis has been carried out is often used as an excuse for theresult. The reasons for the decisions are often not made clear, and left for others to make their assumptions.
The present situation
During the last fifteen years, the question of paint analysis has cropped up at some stage in manyof the larger restoration projects. Indeed, it has been used with great success by Dr Ian Bristow,its leading exponent, at such sites as the Breakfast Room at Pitzhanger Manor, in Ealing,
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and inThe Casino at Marino, near Dublin,
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but equally the results have been less well handled.
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Until
 
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greater awareness is made of the procedures involved in the analysis of earlier decorativeschemes, its potential will never be fully realised.
Methods of analysis
The basic techniques of paint analysis have their origins at the beginning of the nineteenthcentury.
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Technical developments have led to refinements, but essentially the investigation of architectural Paintwork consists of three principal processes:The first consists of the making of cross sections, which can be examined under a microscope.The second process requires the careful removal of each of the layers to reveal what is shown incross section. The third process involves the analysis of the constituents of particular layers.
Cross sections
The number of samples will depend on the complexity of the room and its known history. Asingle room may require as many as a hundred samples, each measuring about half an inch, to betaken from suitable representative areas. The location of each sample is recorded and each oneis carefully numbered. Being very fragile and brittle, they are then set in a clear polyester resin inorder to support them during the next stage of the investigation. The paint chip, held firmly bythe resin is sawn in half and rubbed down with a succession of progressively finer wet and dryabrasive papers to ensure a completely smooth surface. The aim will be to present anunscratched and optically clear face to the lens of the microscope.To be of most use, the samples should be complete, and those taken from wood and plaster should still be attached to a fragment of the substrate. Ironwork is less easy to sample, but mill-scale or shiny metal flakes can often be seen, if the sample has been taken correctly.An attempt must now be made to work out which was the priming coat, which the undercoats,and, most importantly, which the top, or finish, coats. Sometimes, if the layers are very differentin appearance, this is a fairly straightforward matter, however, very often there is doubt aboutthe exact number of decorative schemes involved, especially when there are several schemes of the same colour, one after another. The use of carefully selected stains can help differentiate thelayers.The same process may also be used to gain an idea of the structural integrity of the paint layers.Their likely adherence to the wall and their inter-coat adhesion can be gauged by looking at thecomposition of each layer. A sign of the times perhaps, but an investigation may well be initiated by an insurance company rather than an architect, and will often stem from accusations of badworkmanship. The sheer passage of time has led to a stage where some of the paint has begunto shell off the walls of buildings of a certain age. The combination of poor preparation, a variedsequence of paint types, and the weight of many overlying coats of paint all contribute to suchhorrors. Unfortunately, it occurs most frequently after repainting, and is usually accelerated bythe damp conditions that result from overflows and leaks. To redecorate in such circumstanceswithout identifying the extent of the problem could lead to major paint failure, extensiveremedial work and further redecoration.
Layering
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r.ireland013720

Excellent and to the point. I could not agree more with the author.

reply01 / 30 / 2009
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