The Technical Analysis and Conservation of John La Farge’s Newport Congregational Church Mural Decorations (1880) in Newport, Rhode Island

Abstract

ABSTRACT John La Farge (1835–1910) is regarded as an innovator of American interior decoration. His materials and techniques successfully created unique and eye-catching effects across the interior surfaces of monumental buildings. The recent conservation treatment of the Newport Congregational Church in Newport, Rhode Island afforded the opportunity to perform the first comprehensive analysis of one such painted interior. Materials analyses of the media and pigments were carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). In addition, reconstructions of La Farge’s medium were prepared based on a number of available archival paint recipes in order to further inform the analysis and to help develop a better understanding of the materials La Farge likely used for specific passages and colors. The results of the project suggest that La Farge primarily achieved his varied surfaces with two mediums: distemper-bound passages juxtaposed with areas bound in a mixture of beeswax and larch balsam diluted with solvents. Analysis, archival research, and reconstructions were ultimately used to illustrate the vulnerabilities of La Farge’s surfaces but also to reveal the artist’s original intent and technique.