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The Polychromy at Westminster Abbey, 1250–13501
| Content Provider | Scilit |
|---|---|
| Author | Howard, Helen Sauerberg, Marie Louise |
| Copyright Year | 2020 |
| Description | Book Name: Westminster |
| Abstract | Although some technical examination has been undertaken of works at Westminster in the $past,^{2}$ the recent detailed analytical information of a number of important painted schemes from the mid-13th to early 14th centuries at Westminster Abbey (Fig. 1) and Palace of Westminster has provided us for the first time with a body of detailed data from which technical comparisons can be drawn with contemporary work in England and northern Europe. Since 1995, technical studies have been undertaken on the Cosmati pavements (Rodwell, Fig. 1, 159); two fragments of ceiling panels from the Painted Chamber in the Palace; the Retable (Fig. 2); the tomb of Aveline de Forz (d. 1274); the tomb of Edmund Crouchback (d. 1296) (Fig. 3); the Coronation Chair (Fig. 4; see also Rodwell, Fig. 14, 55); the sedilia (Binski and Guerry, Figs 11 and 12, 196 and 198); and the wall-paintings in the Chapel of St Faith (Binski and Guerry, above, Fig. 4) and the south transept (Binski and Guerry, Fig. 5, $186).^{3}$ A number of these projects included non-invasive methods of examination and analysis, as well as employing a wide range of sample-based analytical techniques. This paper represents an overview of the current state of research within the context of an ongoing study at the Abbey, which is based on a close collaboration between conservators, conservation scientists, and art historians. It provides information on all recent investigations, focusing on painting on both stone and wood (the only two substrates identified, although evidence for the use of canvas was found and will also be discussed). It also identifies some common denominators, as well as unusual traits, within this diverse group of objects, and contextualizes the findings by comparison with coeval works of art from within Britain and elsewhere in northern Europe. As a preamble to the detailed comparisons of technical data, however, it is important to consider the polychrome context within which many of these objects were meant to be seen. The Appendix provides a summary of analytical data to date. Fig. 1 Westminster Abbey: the Sacrarium and apse, showing high altar and 19th-century screen © Dean and Chapter of Westminster © Dean and Chapter of Westminster |
| Related Links | https://content.taylorfrancis.com/books/download?dac=C2015-0-76441-4&isbn=9781315630779&doi=10.1201/9781315630779-10&format=pdf |
| Ending Page | 261 |
| Page Count | 57 |
| Starting Page | 205 |
| DOI | 10.1201/9781315630779-10 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited |
| Publisher Date | 2020-04-27 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Book Name: Westminster Visual and Performing Arts Northern Europe Analytical Fig Westminster Binski Guerry Data From Which Technical Comparisons |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Chapter |
