Half revealed Trompe l'oeil Panels Recent months have marked the culmination of two important projects, the Entrance Hall of Kenwood House and the Dissenters Chapel at Kensal Green Cemetery. At Kenwood the original Adam scheme has been created using traditional lead paint and authentic pigments. The project has been hailed as developing new standards in the research of historic interiors and presents a re-appraisal of Adam's use of colour. A markedly different approach to the presentation of an historic interior was taken in the Dissenters Chapel where the unit co-ordinated the uncovering and display of an over-painted mid-nineteenth-century stencilled scheme. Links are being developed with the Historical Analysis and Research Team, working closely on listed building advice cases and works for Major Projects. The original decorative schemes for the interiors of Danson House were established and, following the precedent established at Kenwood, the original paint finishes will be recreated using lead paint tinted with eighteenth-century pigments such as Naples Yellow and verdigris. A sophisticated trompe l'oeil scheme on the dome of the staircase and large sections of original eighteenth-century gilding were discovered during the course of the research and these areas are now being conserved.
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Architectural paint expertise is in demand to assist on the formulation of research programmes and Lottery applications; there is increasing interest in this field but an acute shortage of trained researchers. Opportunities for developing training in this discipline are thus being investigated and a Handbook of Architectural Paint Research Case Studies is being prepared for publication.
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