Preserving the past
From conserving historic works of art and delving into archaeology to supporting urban heritage and parks, find out about our vital conservation work.
Conservation Week at Knole
- Published:
- 05 September 2024
Monday 9 - Sunday 15 September 2024
Find out how we look after the collection at Knole and discover objects with secrets. See conservation in action in the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio.
Conservation Week in the showrooms
Around the showrooms hidden or little noticed details will be revealed. We'll use mirrors to show details of the underneath of historic furniture and open secret drawers that aren't usually seen. We'll also lift the lids on the 19th century cassone in the Ballroom and the close stool in King's Closet.
The Collections and House team will also be undertaking textile cleaning in Cartoon Gallery, and will be talking to visitors about their work.
Royal Stuart furniture in Brown Gallery
Collection of historic chairs on display in Brown Gallery at Knole
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Conservation Week in the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio
There'll be a different object in focus plus the opportunity to 'meet the conservator' 1-2pm.
Wednesday - Johan Zoffany's portrait of Eva Maria Veigel c. 1762-1763:
Painting conservator Anna will be removing the last remaining areas of degraded, yellowed varnish from Johan Zoffany’s portrait of Eva Maria Veigel, from Polesden Lacey. The transformative cleaning is revealing the vibrant original colours as intended by Zoffany. Anna will explain why conservators remove aged varnishes from paintings, and the difference made by revarnishing a painting. The portrait of Eva Maria Veigel will be shown next to Henry Raeburn’s painting of The Paterson Children, which has been recently cleaned and varnished.
Thursday - Ham House Dolphin Suite chairs:
Furniture conservator Nicola will be cleaning the gilded and silvered surfaces of the carved dolphins on these highly decorative chairs. She'll also discuss the exciting discoveries made during the analysis and treatment carried out as part of this conservation project. Listed in the 1677 inventory of Ham House, these chairs illustrate the strong influence of the French Court and the extravagant style of Elizabeth, Duchess of Lauderdale.
Friday - damaged ceramics from Clandon Park:
Conservator Felicity will be working on the remedial treatment of ceramic objects damaged during a fire at Clandon Park in 2015. Many ceramics made by master craftsmen, for example Meissen, were broken into numerous tiny fragments. So far the project has involved hours of puzzling and piecing together fragments before cleaning and re-adhering the objects.
Saturday - 'The Wise and Foolish Virgins' painting by Jacopo Tintoretto:
As part of the final stages of conservation treatment, painting conservator Sarah will be inpainting historic losses and abrasion on Jacopo Tintoretto’s painting of ‘The Wise and Foolish Virgin’s' (c.1546) from Upton House. She will also discuss some of the intriguing findings uncovered during treatment and technical analysis, along with their implications for how we understand Tintoretto's artistic process.
Painting conversation
Painting conversator working in the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio
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Article
The collection at Knole
Explore Knole's showrooms to see one of the rarest and most well-preserved collections of Royal Stuart furniture, paintings, objects and textiles – on show since 1605.
Place
The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio
Conserving and preserving our history for the future.
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