Restoring the Paintings
- a project for 2024
A life in Church Conservation - Tobit Curteis in Conversation
Tuesday 25th June, in Church
On the evening of Tuesday 25th June, Pickering church was treated to a fascinating conversation between Professor Kate Giles of the University of York and one of the UK's leading conservation experts, Tobit Curteis (of Tobit Curteis Associates). Given that Kate and Tobit were scheduled against the England match and various other local events, it was a real pleasure to see the church so full!
Over the course of an hour, Kate asked Tobit to reflect on his 30 year relationship with Pickering's paintings. Tobit reflected that like many visitors, he was first struck by how unusual Pickering was, not just in giving people an impression of just how colourful all medieval churches, monasteries and houses were in the middle ages, but also in preserving such a coherent scheme of paintings, notwithstanding their Victorian restoration. The audience were given a dynamic potted history of painting styles, methods and techniques. This was followed up in questions, where Tobit explained how most English wall paintings were painted onto limewash or lime plaster in earth and lake pigments, greens from copper as well as more exotic synthetics such as blues derived from lapis lazuli; a reminder of the global trade operating in medieval England and the hundreds of people involved in supporting the creation, supply and infrastructure of medieval church art.
Reflecting on the more recent restoration and conservation of Pickering's paintings, Tobit was able to explain how the archaeological discovery of paintings in places like Pompei had led Victorian experts to recommend the use of beeswax and other preservative coatings in the restoration of English wall paintings - with disastrous results! Dirt and dust would become trapped in these coatings and even though later 20th century conservators realised how problematic these materials were, they often used equally problematic alternatives.
This led to a fascinating explanation by Tobit's of his day to day work which encompasses everything from Egyptian pyramids to prehistoric tombs to medieval cathedrals and churches, country houses and museums. Tobit explained that the most important step in conservation was to understand the 'building envelope' - the interaction of walls, windows, openings, heating, lighting and impacts of people using the building, as well as the particular microclimates operating in and around its local environment. Measuring and monitoring these over time enabled conservators to work out what was going on (a particularly satisfying part of the job!) Having established this, it was then possible to find ways of slowing down the processes of decay and deterioration and Tobit emphasised that preventive conservation was always preferable to remedial conservation. In the case of Pickering, however, remedial conservation was needed. This would start with the consolidation and stabilisation of the paintings, but probably also include some form of very gentle cleaning to remove the surface dirt and dust. And whilst some conservation cleaning was almost impossible to detect, at Pickering there could be a noticeable difference in the appearance of the paintings, thanks to the vibrant colours used by their 19th century restorers.
Towards the end of the conversation, Kate invited Tobit to talk about what had led him to a life in conservation. Like many people, Tobit reflected on the value of visiting churches as a child. This had given him both a familiarity and fascination with church buildings. Realising that you could bring art and science together in their conservation had been a lightbulb moment for him, and created opportunities to work on some of the most important and complex heritage sites not only in the UK but also globally.
The evening ended, as always, with fantastic questions from the audience followed by coffee and cake. Lots of great ideas about using the project to inspire future generations of conservators and heritage experts were discussed, as well as some fantastic creative suggestions for arts activities which could be inspired by the project.
If you have ideas, we would love to hear them. Please visit the church and complete a feedback postcard where you can tell us about your interests and sign up to a mailing list.
If you'd like to find out more about the 19th and 20th century discovery and restoration of the paintings as well as their medieval meaning, Kate's book on Pickering is available to purchase from the Pickering Book Tree for just £20.
A life in Church Conservation - Tobit Curteis in Conversation
Tuesday 25th June, in Church
On the evening of Tuesday 25th June, Pickering church was treated to a fascinating conversation between Professor Kate Giles of the University of York and one of the UK's leading conservation experts, Tobit Curteis (of Tobit Curteis Associates). Given that Kate and Tobit were scheduled against the England match and various other local events, it was a real pleasure to see the church so full!
Over the course of an hour, Kate asked Tobit to reflect on his 30 year relationship with Pickering's paintings. Tobit reflected that like many visitors, he was first struck by how unusual Pickering was, not just in giving people an impression of just how colourful all medieval churches, monasteries and houses were in the middle ages, but also in preserving such a coherent scheme of paintings, notwithstanding their Victorian restoration. The audience were given a dynamic potted history of painting styles, methods and techniques. This was followed up in questions, where Tobit explained how most English wall paintings were painted onto limewash or lime plaster in earth and lake pigments, greens from copper as well as more exotic synthetics such as blues derived from lapis lazuli; a reminder of the global trade operating in medieval England and the hundreds of people involved in supporting the creation, supply and infrastructure of medieval church art.
Reflecting on the more recent restoration and conservation of Pickering's paintings, Tobit was able to explain how the archaeological discovery of paintings in places like Pompei had led Victorian experts to recommend the use of beeswax and other preservative coatings in the restoration of English wall paintings - with disastrous results! Dirt and dust would become trapped in these coatings and even though later 20th century conservators realised how problematic these materials were, they often used equally problematic alternatives.
This led to a fascinating explanation by Tobit's of his day to day work which encompasses everything from Egyptian pyramids to prehistoric tombs to medieval cathedrals and churches, country houses and museums. Tobit explained that the most important step in conservation was to understand the 'building envelope' - the interaction of walls, windows, openings, heating, lighting and impacts of people using the building, as well as the particular microclimates operating in and around its local environment. Measuring and monitoring these over time enabled conservators to work out what was going on (a particularly satisfying part of the job!) Having established this, it was then possible to find ways of slowing down the processes of decay and deterioration and Tobit emphasised that preventive conservation was always preferable to remedial conservation. In the case of Pickering, however, remedial conservation was needed. This would start with the consolidation and stabilisation of the paintings, but probably also include some form of very gentle cleaning to remove the surface dirt and dust. And whilst some conservation cleaning was almost impossible to detect, at Pickering there could be a noticeable difference in the appearance of the paintings, thanks to the vibrant colours used by their 19th century restorers.
Towards the end of the conversation, Kate invited Tobit to talk about what had led him to a life in conservation. Like many people, Tobit reflected on the value of visiting churches as a child. This had given him both a familiarity and fascination with church buildings. Realising that you could bring art and science together in their conservation had been a lightbulb moment for him, and created opportunities to work on some of the most important and complex heritage sites not only in the UK but also globally.
The evening ended, as always, with fantastic questions from the audience followed by coffee and cake. Lots of great ideas about using the project to inspire future generations of conservators and heritage experts were discussed, as well as some fantastic creative suggestions for arts activities which could be inspired by the project.
If you have ideas, we would love to hear them. Please visit the church and complete a feedback postcard where you can tell us about your interests and sign up to a mailing list.
If you'd like to find out more about the 19th and 20th century discovery and restoration of the paintings as well as their medieval meaning, Kate's book on Pickering is available to purchase from the Pickering Book Tree for just £20.
