Conservation Bulletin 4 | PDF - English Heritage

Details of the sculpture of Charity before and after conservation: inappropriate solder
repairs, corroded ferrous fixings and supports, dents, vandal marks, and the remains of
deteriorated paint coatings can be seen (above); on completion the sculpture has received
a new internal support and the original paint decoration has been reinstated (below)
Closer inspection of the surfaces revealed inappropriate previous repairs in solder, several
large dents possibly from a fall, and a considerable number of marks and graffiti. Several
of the foundry joints between cast sections had begun to fracture. As is usual with this sort
of work, the true condition became clear once the figures had been removed to the
workshop and cleaned.
WORK UNDERTAKEN
RTAS took charge of the figures in January 1987. Before any work commenced, paint
samples were taken for microscopic analysis to determine the original colours. Lead
figures of the eighteenth century were normally painted, often to imitate stone, and at
times in naturalistic colours. Close visual inspection had already revealed at least two
colours.
Corrosion products and decaying paint layers were then removed with wooden implements
and gels. Inspection of the sculpture at this stage showed that the original core and
armature had been removed. The castings were generally 4–6mm thick, thus enabling
them to stand as well as they had. In a few places where the casting thickness went down
to 2–3mm, fractures had occurred.
Once the paint on Charity’s torso had been removed, it could be seen that areas such as
the breasts, fabric folds, and the belt had been made up in a lead oxide in order to cover
defects in the original casting. When the lead cap to Charity’s right arm was removed, the
arm was found to have been stuffed with newspaper (dating from December 1960) and
then filled with foundry loam. The smeared solder repair at this point was removed to
reveal a large section of the original drapery. Whenever possible, fractured joints or other
tears were made good by lead burning. As this work proceeded it became clear that, while
the figures were artistically superlative, the quality of their casting was poor.
Charity was fitted with a stainless steel armature which extended through the new stone
cap on which she now stands to an adjustable fixing within a new brick plinth. An armature
was also provided for the right arm which had broken away due to an inherent design fault
as well as thinness of casting. The original fixing points of the baby had been located
during the cleaning process, and he was refixed in his original position by a system of
small stainless steel dowels.
The completed sculpture in the courtyard of the Fishermen’s Hospital