I visited number 61 Lower Keyford, Frome at the invitation of the owners Mr & Mrs Robertson, and in their presence I inspected the wall painting in the main room on the ground floor of the house. This painting, which is an important and rare survival from the late medieval period, was discovered by Mr James White, a previous owner, during the building work involved in inserting a window. At which time both Dr E Clive Rouse and Mr John Harvey were consulted.
Iconography
The painting was described by Dr Rouse as Christ (identifiable by his cruciform
nimbus or halo) with two more figures, probably apostles. When he saw
them they had not been fully uncovered and although he was able to note that
both figures on the right (Christ’s left) had halos, the fact that
they are both crowned was not then obvious, nor was the fact that Christ
is portrayed as wearing his crown of thorns, though Dr Rouse did note the
drops of blood on Christ’s Forehead. I am not altogether convinced
that all three figures are in the act of blessing (as has been suggested),
though Christ does seem to be doing so. I wonder if the two bearded
kings might be a couple of the dozen or so kings who were venerated as saints,
many of whom were said to have had many visions in which they were given
guidance and/or instructions. A couple of the more likely candidates
being Alfred who established a community of women at Shaftesbury, and is
described as “a champion of England and Christianity with a great love
of learning”, and possibly Edward the Confessor, though as neither
of them retain their emblems in this painting it is probably always going
to be open to conjecture.
The painting seems to have been “restored” or “smartened
up” at some date in medieval times, as the remains of such features
us eyes lips etc can be seen to have been repainted in slightly different
positions in a paint that contained either an oil or varnish; this, having
made the paint virtually impervious to moisture, has largely flaked off.
Dr Rouse suggested that the painting probably dates from the second half
of the 15th Century and I can see no reason to dispute this.
Condition
Mr and Mrs White, the then owners, were shown by Dr Rouse, how to remove
the covering layers of limewash and instructed in the use of lime mortar
to repair the plaster. This they seem to have done with great care,
though their lime plaster repairs seem to have been somewhat ineffectual
and, lacking the knowledge and skills of a trained conservator, they have
not succeeded in re-attaching the plaster to the wall.
Virtually the whole of the medieval plaster sounds hollow when tapped, and
the area of plaster which carries the image of Christ is rather alarmingly
loose, particularly in the vicinity of his face. However the painting
is on average only approx three foot eight inches high and has been secured
along all its edges by the new plaster with which the whole wall seems to
have been rendered.
I was rather sad to note that this re=plastering has been carried out in
what looks like a thistle plaster (which can have a damaging effect on a
lime plaster if the wall becomes wet). The new plaster has been [painted
with an emulsion paint, which means that the small area of medieval lime
plaster carrying the painting is now the only porous area on the wall. It
is most fortunate that the wall seems to have always been a dry one.
The painting has a glazed, hinged wooden frame (with allowances made for
air to circulate). The wall that it is on is very sound; Mr Robinson
went to the floor above, where he stamped and jumped immediately above the
painting, and I could not detect any vibration in the wall while he did so.
Recommendations
Because the area of painting is so small, the plaster held at the edges,
the wall it is on is solid, and the painting protected from accidental damage
by thick glass, I do not think that there is any urgency about its need for
consolidation. However the plaster in the vicinity of Christ’s
head is loose (not merely hollow), and the painting can not be fully appreciated
because it is still partly obscured by dirt, a slight bloom of lime and a
few flakes of limewash.
The replacement of the thistle plaster around the painting with an appropriately
toned lime plaster would not only be a sensible cautionary measure against
any possible damage in the future (should the wall for any reason happen
to become damp), but it would also greatly enhance its appearance. Old
plaster repairs too would have to be removed so as to get some lime in behind
the painting in order to re-attach it to the wall; these areas would then
be repaired with a suitably toned lime plaster. Finally the surface
of the painting could be cleaned of its accumulation of dirt and lime.
If conservation work is to take place the heavy glazed part of the frame
will first need to be removed (at the hinges), and some sort of low staging
or trestles provided. I think that the work as outlined above would
be unlikely to take as much as a full week to do everything that was needed.
Copies to:
Dr E Clive Rouse
John Harvey
David Park
John Schofield
September 1991
Ann Ballantyne
8 Saint Paul’s Road
Richmond, Surrey
WTW9 2H
Stonewall Manor
The Nunnery
Monks Farm
The Cottages
