Centuries of colour history to be revealed as National Trust establishes new laboratory to research paints used in the past

Homeowners might ponder what colours their houses were before white and magnolia became so universal, but the National Trust is creating a new laboratory to research paint samples gathered from across its properties to see what the many hidden layers of paint can unlock, about the past use of colour and how they can be recreated.

The funding will cover the first two years to create a new laboratory and the paint sample archive with a similar amount in future to cover the recruitment and research work of the Trust’s first in-house heritage scientist in the years afterwards.

The Trust’s collection of paint samples, dating from the second century AD to the present day, covers many thousands of examples gathered across the country over many decades and includes samples from paintings, buildings and decorative arts as well as interiors of historic buildings and even exterior woodwork, fences and gates. The cataloguing of the collection at the new laboratory at the Trust’s Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Centre at Knole near Sevenoaks, will open up access and allow researchers to make use of the vast collection of paint samples from National Trust properties for the first time.

John Orna-Ornstein, the Trust Director of Curation and Experience said:
“We often think of the past as being black and white but as many National Trust historic houses show, our predecessors loved using colour in the interiors, collections and wider estates. Through this project we will be able to learn about the choices behind colours of the past and where those colours came from, using forensic approaches which will greatly improve our understanding of these special historic places.

“Our collection of paint samples are thousands of tiny cultural assets currently hidden from view, but which we can now make accessible. From some of the earliest decorative schemes in frescoes at Chedworth Roman Villa to 18^th century carriages and works by Constable our staff and facilities will have a huge impact on increasing knowledge, understanding and curiosity.”

The paint samples were gathered as part of individual research into buildings or objects owned by the Trust over many years but by bringing them together in a single database, it will ensure they will no longer be studied in isolation and will allow comparisons between similar materials to be made more easily.

As well as helping identify the colours used, the samples also reveal materials popular in decorating homes in the past, how tastes and choices of colour changed, and the global trade in pigments and materials used to brighten lives and homes.

In a recent example, an 1881 watercolour painted by William Jackson Browne, the owner of Townend, an historic farmhouse in Cumbria showed a different paint colour for the building’s woodwork. The house timbers had been painted a very dark green for many decades. But after paint sampling confirmed that a dark red shown in the painting was historically correct, the house now been restored to its original colour scheme.

At Bath Assembly Rooms a major conservation project will bring new life to the building including recreating oak floors to match the originals lost in Second World War bombing. Paint research included information from a tiny slice through years of paint from a corner of the card room which has been studied to identify a choice of colours used in the past. While several dozen layers were found, it is thought that the most likely choices to match how the room might have been in the past were a Salmon pink and a greenish blue. Similar research is being carried out throughout the building. Paint producers Little Greene are recreating original paints to be used in the refurbishment.

The National Trust Paint Archive project will be run by a new heritage scientist who will also set up new research projects based on the collection. In addition, they will set standards for paint sampling and analysis, using the latest high quality techniques.

Paint samples are especially useful in understanding the history of the many oil paintings in the Trust collection. Recent work has included the first ever technical analysis of the painter Carolus Duran, a mentor of John Singer Sargent, confirming anecdotal evidence of his paint mixing style.

Another study has also revealed unusual ingredients in some paintings. Work on a painting by Italian artist Tintoretto from the Renaissance period. In his work The Wise and Foolish Virgins which is normally on show at Upton House. The paint sampling revealed layers of paint composed of real ground gold, partially overlaid with some transparent paint layers. The son of a dyer, Tintoretto frequently employed transparent paint with dye based pigments – known as lake pigments - to build up his rich and complex paint surfaces.

Anita Weatherby, Head of Research said “The AHRC support will allow this colourful collection to be studied and explored, creating a world-class research resource. It helps the National Trust meet its ambitions as an Independent Research Organisation, with high quality research underpinning our own work and supporting the wider research community.”

The National Trust Paint Archive project is part of the Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme, funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council through the UKRI Infrastructure Fund.