Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

Figure 2. Salisbury Cathedral, west front.
Photograph courtesy rif the Courtauld Insti­
tute rif Art.

Figure 3. Salisbury Cathedral, north fa ce rif

north turret, lower register. Evidence rif paint

was fo und 011 the moldings above the figures.

Photograph courtesy of Dean and Chapter,

Salisbury Cathedral.

Figure 4. Salisbury Cathedral central porch,

ly,upauul11. Photograph courtesy rif Dean and

Chapter, Salisbury Cathedral.

106

enhances our picture of the working process (9). This, too, can be of immense

value fo r comparative purposes with the west front.

Much of the west front of Salisbury Cathedral (Fig. 2) was restored in the

nineteenth century, when most of the empty niches were filled with new

sculpture. Only portions of eight sculptures derive from the original scheme

of 1245 -1260, which may never have been completed. The majority of ar­

chitectural and all of the ornamental and sculptural stonework on Salisbury's

west front is constructed of the local Chilmark stone, a sandy limestone. With

much of the stone weathered and covered in lichen, it is not always imme­

diately apparent whether the fabric is original or replacement. Unfortunately,

while there is documentation fo r much of the restoration work, there appears

to be none recording the original fabric.

A preliminary inspection fo r paint on the fa cade revealed evidence only on

the moldings above the lower register figures on the north fa ce of the north

turret, the most protected part of the west front (Fig. 3). More evidence of

paint may become apparent as cleaning commences on the west front in 19 95.

The inspection fo r paint extended into the sheltered central porch where,

again, much of the fabric is from the nineteenth century. On the tympanum,

however, the medieval surfaces that have remained are in areas still thickly

painted, with ample evidence of a magnificent polychromy (Fig. 4). The only

original carving is that of fo ur heads at the apex of the tympanum; they are

particularly well protected and retain paint on their hair, beards, and eyes.

An examination of the roof bosses in the west walk of Salisbury cloister,

which date from 1263 -1270, also reveals evidence of color though here the

paint is extensive, with some bosses retaining almost all their color. While

their polychromy cannot be seen as part of the same scheme as that of the

west front and central porch it serves as valuable additional reference material,

as well as an important surviving fa ct in its own right.

Paint samples were taken from all three locations at Salisbury to analyze the

type of pigments and binding media used by the medieval painters. These

analyses are still in progress and much remains to be done. Further evidence

may yet come to light that will alter current perception of the preliminary

results.

Salisbury polychrorny

Although the scarcity of evidence of paint on the west-front fa cade makes it

rather premature to talk of differences or similarities, a preliminary exami­

nation of the paint from all three locations immediately reveals a difference

in technique (Fig. 5).

Those west-front samples examined thus fa r show the existence of a thick

white ground with a single, colored layer on top (Fig. Sa), while those from

the cloister bosses show a thin, translucent white ground with one or two

colored layers on top and extensive use of gilding, which may also bear paint­

ed decoration (Fig. Sb). By comparison those from the central porch display

a more complex structure (Fig. Sc), with some samples exhibiting up to fifteen

layers and several repaintings, often resulting in a change of color, with the

use of a red earth primer, liberal applications of white lead and a broad range

of colors (Plate 21). Presumably the paint was reapplied whenever it started

to look shabby; there are three layers of gilding on the beard of one of the

carved heads. Samples examined thus fa r from the cloister bosses show no

evidence of repainting.

Although more paint may yet be discovered on Salisbury west front, current

results indicate several possibilities. If the sculptural scheme was left unfinished,

perhaps only isolated, completed areas were painted. Alternatively, the scheme

may have been completed, but left largely unpainted due to lack of fu nds.

Weathering and human intervention may have caused loss of most of the

Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice