Chroma Conservation carried out works within the North Hall of Stowe School, Buckinghamshire during December 2018 and January and February 2019. The works included:
• Conservation of Banks Relief Sculptures
Situated on the east and west walls; the east panel being the largest and more defective of the two.
The east panel has serious fractures in the upper dexter quadrant and the lower sinister quadrant. These have been filled previously with both gypsum plaster and cement mortar. All defective mortars were raked out of fractures with small tools, filled with, and subsequently toned in.
Following cleaning trials, cleaning to both panels comprised dry and wet cleaning.
• Gilding of the balustrade knuckles
43No. of knuckle joints to staircase balustrade were double gilded. We used oil gold size and 23.75ct. gold leaves.
• East wall consultation, paint removal and preparation
The painted surface of the northeast corner of the east wall was unstable; the deterioration seemed to be related to a combination of inappropriate application and materials and environmental triggers. Surface tension created by the application of a modern coating had forced several layers of paint from more stable underlying layers.
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