An Overview of Secular Wall Paintings in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries in the Welsh Marches

Abstract

Wall paintings, which survive in many houses of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, constitute an important element of display embodying complex cultural and social values of this period of transition from medieval to early modern society. This paper explores how common they were during this period, what sort of houses had them, when they were painted and most importantly, what their significance was in terms of what they can reveal about the lives of the people who chose to decorate their homes in this manner. Research has concentrated on the Welsh Marches although examples from elsewhere have been referred to. Social and cultural values of the period are particularly difficult to access as surviving indicators for them are limited. Vernacular buildings are a major source of evidence for this and wall paintings constitute a significant element which can provide a record of changing social and cultural values.