On painted ceilings…the techniques of Baroque murals in England

Abstract

Abstract This paper discusses the findings of an analytical investigation into the materials and techniques of five Baroque wall paintings, produced by an art historically and technologically coherent group of painters, during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in England. The analysis attempted to define the composition and stratigraphy of the paint, ground, sealant and surface plaster layers, as well as the range of pigments and organic media in use. Later restoration and conservation materials, in particular varnishes and retouchings, were noted.