colour identification of regency pigments regency period a · janet brough, royal pavilion &...
TRANSCRIPT
Amajor restoration of thefirst floor of the RoyalPavilion was carried out from
the late 1970s until the mid-1990s.The intention behind the restorationwas to present the entire building asa complete Regency design, asGeorge IV, his architect and hisdesigners intended.
The restoration was carried out alongside majorrepairs to the fabric of the building, duringwhich fragments of original decoration werefound in situ. These, along with stored originalitems, were sampled so that the pigments usedcould be identified. This was done not only toinform the restoration process, but to increaseour knowledge and understanding of Regencydecorative painting practice.
Frontispiece from George Field’s 'Chromatography', London, 1841Hand-coloured copper-plate etchingCollection Alexandra LoskePhotograph by Jim Pike, 2013, for the Royal Pavilion
Our thanks are due to the organisations and individuals that have helped us:
Catherine Hassall, Paint Analysis
English Heritage
Allyson McDermott, Historic Interiors
National Gallery, London, Scientific Department: Rachel Morrison, Dr David Peggie, Dr Ashok Roy, Marika Spring, Ann Stephenson-Wright
Peter Mactaggart, Mac & Me
Royal Pavilion & Museums, Conservation Department: Jon Latham, Anne Sowden; Booth Museum of Natural History: Dr Gerald Legg
University of Southampton, School of Chemistry: Charlotte Beard, Alistair Clark, Dr Robert Hughes, Professor Mark Weller
The following table is a record of thepigments that have been discoveredin the Royal Pavilion. It details theobjects that have been analysed andthe methods used.
This material has been written and compiled by Janet Brough, Paintings Conservator, Royal Pavilion &Museums, July 2013.
Colour in the Regency Period
Identification of Regency pigmentsused in the original decorations of the Royal Pavilion
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Colour Object sampled, dateof manufacture, andoriginal location
Image of object Analysis method,acknowledgements, sampleidentification
Further examples with similarpigment characteristics
Red transparent(Carmine) Cochineal
Fragment of original canvasborder to murals, c.1820,Banqueting Room
Red spot of crown, c.1815,North Gallery
Fragment of yellow dragonpaper, c.1820, Bow Rooms
North window bead,c.1820, North Bow Room
High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) by Dr David Peggie, National GalleryScientific Department (report no. 070213)2013. Also Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM) by Alistair Clark, University ofSouthampton (sample no. 1) 2006
Pigments with similar characteristics havebeen found in many other items, as in theMusic Room murals, over silver in theBanqueting Room bells and high levelornaments, and in the lilac shadow of theSaloon wallpaper
Red opaque(Vermilion) Mercuricsulphide
Visible and polarised light microscopy by Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department 1989
Pigments with similar characteristics havebeen found in original paper from the RedDrawing Room, the Music Room murals, theSouth Gallery Kylins, the pink colouring in theSaloon wallpaper, and many other items
Yellow (ChromeYellow) Lead chromate
Allyson McDermott c.1987 Pigments with similar characteristics havebeen found in other items, as in the yellowareas of the Music Room murals
Yellow (ChromeYellow) Lead chromate
Visible and polarised light microscopy, Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department, and PeterMactaggart (slide no. 2) 1989. Also scanningElectron Microscope with X Ray Diffraction(SEM/XRD) by Ashok Roy, National GalleryScientific Department 1996 page
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Colour Object sampled, dateof manufacture, andoriginal location
Image of object Analysis method,acknowledgements, sampleidentification
Further examples with similarpigment characteristics
Yellow (Turner'sPatent Yellow) Leadoxychloride
Yellow under blue bambooborder in painted canvasdecorations, c.1815, NorthGalleries
Yellow scales on Kylin,c.1815, South Galleries
Kylin, c.1815, SouthGalleries
Architrave of door, c.1815(painted blue lines onsecond layer of pink teawood graining), BowRooms
Visible and polarised light microscopy, Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department, and PeterMactaggart (North Gallery no. 2) 1989
Yellow (Turner'sPatent Yellow) Leadoxychloride
Visible and polarised light microscopy, Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department, and PeterMactaggart (South Gallery no. 3) 1989. AlsoSEM/XRD by Ashok Roy, National GalleryScientific Department 1996
Blue (Blue Verditer)Copper carbonate
Visible and polarised light microscopy, Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department, and PeterMactaggart 1989
Pigments with similar characteristics havebeen found in many other items, as in theSouth Gallery columns and marbled bases andthe sky ceilings in the Saloon
Blue (Blue Verditer)Copper carbonate
Visible and polarised light microscopy, Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department, and SEM/XRDby English Heritage (Bow/Ar/1) 1992
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Colour Object sampled, dateof manufacture, andoriginal location
Image of object Analysis method,acknowledgements, sampleidentification
Further examples with similarpigment characteristics
Blue (Blue Verditer)Copper carbonate
Blue distemper wallpaperfragment (L-shapedsection), c.1815, SouthGalleries
Painted canvas decorations,dragon, c.1815, NorthGallery
Fragment of silver and bluewallpaper, probablyoriginal, c.1817,Banqueting Room
Dado paper green, c.1820,Kings Apartments
Visible and polarised light microscopy, Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department, and PeterMactaggart (South Gallery no. 1) 1989
Blue (Prussian Blue)Ferric ferrocyanide orsimilar compound
Visible and polarised light microscopy, Janet Brough, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department, and PeterMactaggart (North Gallery no. 4) 1989
Pigments with similar characteristics havebeen found in many other items, as in the blueareas of the Music Room murals, SouthGallery columns and bases, and in the Saloonwallpaper
Blue (Prussian Blue)Ferric ferrocyanide orsimilar compound
SEM/XRD by Alistair Clark and CharlotteBeard, Southampton University School ofChemistry (07/BR/02 no. 2) 2006
Green opaque(copper based,possibly GreenVerditer)
SEM/XRD by Alistair Clark and CharlotteBeard, Southampton University School ofChemistry (07/KA/01 no. 4) 2006
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Colour Object sampled, dateof manufacture, andoriginal location
Image of object Analysis method,acknowledgements, sampleidentification
Green transparent(Verdigris) Copperacetate
Dragon claw green oversilver, c.1815, originallocation not known
Hand-painted dragonwallpaper, transparentgreen border to exportoils, c.1820, Red DrawingRoom
Fragment of original silverand white wallpaper,c.1820, from under thepapier mâché architrave,west side, north door,Saloon
Dado paper, mixed withgreen, c.1820, KingsApartments
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), SEM/EDX. Gas chromatography andmass spectrometry (GCMS) established thatthe medium included sandarac, by RachelMorrison, National Gallery ScientificDepartment (nos. 1 and 2) 2013
Green transparent(weakly diffracting,possibly a dye)
SEM by Alistair Clark, SouthamptonUniversity School of Chemistry (no. 1) 2006
White (Whiting)Calcium carbonate, notof shell origin
Light and polarised light microscopy;Catherine Hassall (report no. A950, samplenos. 12.5.01; 12.5.02; 12.5.03) 2012 and Jon Latham, Royal Pavilion & MuseumsConservation Department
White (zinc white)Zinc oxide
SEM/XRD by Alistair Clark and Charlotte Beard, Southampton UniversitySchool of Chemistry 2006
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