Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

enhances our picture of the working process (9). This, too, can be of immense
value for 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 architectural
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 immediately
apparent whether the fabric is original or replacement. Unfortunately,
while there is documentation for much of the restoration work, there appears
to be none recording the original fabric.
Figure 2. Salisbury Cathedral, west front.
Photograph courtesy rif the Courtauld Institute
rif Art.
A preliminary inspection for paint on the facade revealed evidence only on
the moldings above the lower register figures on the north face 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 1995.
The inspection for 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 four 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 fact in its own right.
Figure 3. Salisbury Cathedral, north face rif
north turret, lower register. Evidence rif paint
was found 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.
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 facade makes it
rather premature to talk of differences or similarities, a preliminary examination
of the paint from all three locations immediately reveals a difference
in technique (Fig. 5).
Those west-front samples examined thus far 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 painted
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 far 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 funds.
Weathering and human intervention may have caused loss of most of the
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Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice