BAPCR Conference 2020: ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’ In Conservation

Date/Time
Date(s) - 31/01/2020
All Day

Location
The Wallace Collection

Categories

• BAPCR Conference
• BAPCR Event

The BAPCR (British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers) is pleased to announce their forthcoming conference in January 2020: ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ in Conservation.

It is not unusual, in the course of conservation, for new and unexpected discoveries about a painting to be made, sometimes uncovering material aspects which are atypical to an artist or period. The conservator, by virtue of his/her experience and prolonged proximity to the painting, is ideally placed to make this kind of observation. It could be the case of an unorthodox support or priming, or the surprising use of a pigment, medium, or coating. Or, it may become apparent that a painting has been compromised by non-original materials, coatings or additions applied by an earlier conservator/restorer.  Some discoveries have significant art historical and ethical implications, whilst also presenting considerable conservation challenges.

Technical analysis frequently plays an important role in these situations, especially in a museum setting. Imaging techniques, and most recently scanning XRF mapping, might help to reveal and explain the presence of unexpected layers, or reveal changes in composition and artists’ reworkings. Scientific analysis can likewise help to characterise the materials involved and inform conservation treatments.

Conservation treatments (strategies, materials and equipment) might need to be refined, or completely rethought, in the light of discoveries about unusual materials or a previous restoration. Collaboration with art historians, heritage professionals, stakeholders or even the artists themselves may be invaluable in arriving at appropriate ethical decisions.

 

BAPCR 2020 Conference – ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ In Conservation

Preliminary List of Talks

(for talks with multiple authors the speakers are indicated with *)

 

• Hélène Dubois (Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) and Ghent University)

Keynote Address: Conservation, Restoration, Research: The Unexpected Revelations of the Brothers’ Van Eyck Ghent Altarpiece

 

• Molly Hughes-Hallett (Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge)

Shedding the Centuries: The Rediscovery of an Early 16th Century Predella

 

• Emma Boyce Gore (KSH Conservation Ltd)

When the Unexpected Becomes Expected: Tudor Portraits in Historic Family Collections

 

• Marta Melchiorre*, Catherine Higgitt, Rachel Billinge, Marika Spring (The National Gallery, London)

Integration of MA-XRF Scanning and Hyperspectral Imaging into Research and Conservation

Activities at the National Gallery

 

• Jae Youn Chung*, David Peggie (The National Gallery, London); Mary Kempski, Spike Bucklow (Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge)

Cracking the Dutch Painter Jan Van Der Heyden’s “Special Tricks”

 

• Miranda Brain*, Jon Old (The Bowes Museum)

Landscape or Portrait? Ethical Considerations on the Treatment of a Partially Cleaned Painting

 

• Rachel Turnbull*, Alice Tate-Harte (English Heritage)

Discovering Beuckelaer

 

• Sarah Murray*, Barbara H. Berrie (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)

Sometimes the Unexpected is as Good as Gold: Discovery of Gilded Elements in Tiepolo’s Bacchus and Ariadne

 

• Joanna Strombek (Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg – SRAL)

Revealing Secrets of Louis Joseph Le Lorrain? Three Figures Dressed for a Masquerade

 

• Joyce Townsend*, Susan Breen, Ian Warrell (Tate)

Turner’s Unknown Portraits

 

• Rosanna de Sancha (The Royal Collection Trust)

An Unexpected Product of the George Dawe Painting Factory

 

• Silvia Rita Amato*, Maureen Cross, Professor Aviva Burnstock (The Courtauld Institute of Art); Koen Janssens (University of Antwerp); Joris Dik (Delft University of Technology); Laura Cartechini (CNR-ISTM, Perugia); Anne Michelin, Aurélie Tournié (Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris)

Examining Édouard Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’herbe from the Courtauld Gallery Using Spectral Imaging Techniques

 

• Laura Raven*, Erma Hermens* (Rijksmuseum)

Conception, Idiosyncrasy and Immateriality in the London Paintings of Matthijs Maris (1839-1917): Reinterpretation and Reassessing Treatment

 

• Francesca Secchi (Tate)

A Brief Comparative Study Between Some of Tate’s Collection of Léger Paintings

 

• Professor Aviva Burnstock* (Courtauld Institute of Art), Sarah MacDougall* (Ben Uri Gallery and Museum)

Beneath the Surface: intention and practice in the early work of Mark Gertler