BAPCR evening talk by Jessica David

Date/Time
Date(s) - 02/07/2026
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Categories

• BAPCR Evening Talk
• BAPCR Event

BAPCR evening talk via Zoom (only)

 

7pm, Thursday 2^nd July 2026

 

We look forward to welcoming you to an evening talk by Jessica David who will present:

 

Reading the Painted Face: Technical Literature and the Scientific Analysis of Flesh Palettes in Early Modern Britain

 

 

This talk will explore the continued relevance of historical technical sources in interpreting the scientific analysis of paintings, with particular focus on the rendering of varied complexions in seventeenth-century Britain. Using scanning XRF alongside close visual study, works such as Two Women Wearing Cosmetic Patches are examined alongside contemporary accounts of flesh-tone palettes and layering practices. The paper asks how closely the formulas outlined in instructional manuals correspond to practice and, conversely, how major studios may have shaped such prescriptions. Unpublished descriptions of artistic idiosyncrasies and workshop conventions, including the recycling of poses and likenesses, are also considered in relation to questions of facture and the varying quality of portraits produced within the studios of Sir Anthony van Dyck, Isaac Fuller, Sir Peter Lely, Mary Beale, and Sir Godfrey Kneller. The paintings discussed—ranging from intimate and innovative to formal and formulaic—reveal the variety and adaptability of London-based studios during a period of intense demand, while also highlighting the value of integrating technical literature and scientific imaging in the interpretation of flesh painting.

 

Jessica David is the Interim Chief Conservator at the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) in New Haven, CT. She received a BFA/MS in Theory, Criticism, and History of Art, Design, and Architecture from Pratt Institute, NY, and a postgraduate degree in the Conservation of Easel Paintings from the Hamilton Kerr Institute at the University of Cambridge. She was a Kress Conservation Fellow at the Frans Hals Museum in the Netherlands before joining the YCBA in 2008. Her research focuses on historical painting techniques and technical literature—areas on which she has lectured at Yale’s Schools of Art and Art History. Recently, she has explored the artistic practices, materials, and influence of immigrant painters in Britain, as well as the depiction of diverse complexions in 16th- to 18th-century British portraiture.

 

Entry is free of charge to BAPCR members (please email BAPCRsecretary@gmail.com to request a Zoom invitation), and £7.50 for non-members. Non-members can pay for tickets in advance by:

 

• BACS transfer – NatWest, Sort code: 53 50 33, Account number: 5300 0757
• PayPal – paypal.com. When making payment, follow the instructions online. Click on “Send money” tab. Enter BAPCRsecretary@gmail.comwhen prompted.

 

Please email Gemma Collins, BAPCR Secretary at BAPCRsecretary@gmail.com with your name and email address details when you pay for your tickets.