The Conservation Live Project involving Chris Teacheth Humility by Robert Scott Lauder has given our Frame Conservation team the opportunity to not only conserve and restore a huge frame, but to also research its origins. Since 1983, the painting has been housed in a National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) simple stock frame and it was now time to return it to its glorious nineteenth-century design.
A large outer frame was purchased in 1859, some twelve years after the painting was completed. The real ‘original’ frame may very well have been what we call a ‘slip’ frame, which would have allowed the canvas to be handled, transported and displayed in Westminster Hall, the location it was painted for as part of a competition.
Records from the Royal Association Promotion of the Fine Arts Scotland (RAPFAS) reveal that a J.D. Smith, 1845–1885 Edinburgh, was paid £20 to frame Christ Teacheth Humility on 7 December 1858. That equates to around £2000 today, and amazingly, with current costs of materials and labour, this would go nowhere near purchasing such an elaborate frame!
It is possible that this new frame encompassed the original, as there is evidence from the size and historic fixings to support this, but unfortunately that section of the frame no longer exists. Smith is well documented within Gallery frame records and his designs and profiles are sometimes used as research and templates for the making of period reproductions.
At the start of the project this painting had been separated from its frame for at least fifty years. While the painting was on loan, and displayed in a temporary (and much smaller, lighter!) design, the four separate lengths of the original had been kept in various storage facilities. Thanks more to the watertight memory of our frame conservator, and less to fifty-year-old record keeping, we were able to easily locate the older one and identify it by chalk markings on its underside. However, to be absolutely certain, we would have to reconstruct the frame and take detailed comparison measurements of the canvas and the ‘rebate’ size – the inner ledge in which the painting is held.
With the combined efforts of our technicians, art handling colleagues and& volunteers, we were able to reconstruct this monster frame. We worked as a team to carefully rest the canvas in the frame. At this stage it had not been fitted out to modern conservation standards, so we had to work with extreme care to ensure that the rough rebate of the frame would not damage the delicate painted edges of the artwork. For visual affect we simply had to see the two reunited. The dimensions were a match, confirming that this was the long-separated Lauder frame, making our way forward now clear - to restore this incredible frame and bring the canvas home.
There was one big thing missing: the slip. Often between the frame and the artwork there will be a second frame, an inner frame, or what is known as a ‘slip’. These can be quite unassuming, but in this case, we knew the slip would be a key component. When you look at the painting it is quite clear that it was not designed to sit within a square frame. The top corners of the canvas are bare and various incarnations of the original arched slip can be seen in the painted surface. The painting sat in a temporary slip which was deemed unfit for purpose by modern conservation standards. It needed to be removed and a new one constructed from scratch. The events of 2020 halted progress on the slip, but the materials to make it have now been sourced, and designs discussed. The team is eager to get going and share with you the next stage of this exciting project as it unfolds!
The first step to any frame conservation treatment is to make a full assessment of the task at hand. So, before any practical work could begin, our full documentation process was completed. This records information such as period, style, and materials used along with a thorough assessment of the condition of the frame and a timetable of work for treating each issue.
The treatment began with a surface clean, using a chemical agent commonly used in frame conservation; it was essential to remove the dark layer of dirt and grime which had built up over the years from air pollution, coal dust, nicotine and handling. Not only was the new National Gallery of Scotland built right next to Waverly train station, but coal fires were also still in use in the gallery buildings during this period, so the extent of the surface dirt is shocking although not unexpected
The treatment began with a surface clean, using a chemical agent commonly used in frame conservation; it was essential to remove the dark layer of dirt and grime which had built up over the years from air pollution, coal dust, nicotine and handling. Not only was the new National Gallery of Scotland built right next to Waverly train station, but coal fires were also still in use in the gallery buildings during this period, so the extent of the surface dirt is shocking although not unexpected.
The next stage was to begin filling in the areas of deep damage, that is, those losses that were beyond just the surface layers. This involves mixing a putty made from gesso (a fine chalk powder) and size (a traditional glue-like substance), and filling in these holes and cracks. Once the gesso putty has dried, it is sanded smooth and prepared for gilding with layers of bole (a soft coloured clay). These various sections were then water or oil-gilded according to the original design.
Once the new sections of gilding were completed, a light tone of pigment was applied to help match the new gold to the existing patina; the aim of a conservation treatment like this is to make the areas of restoration blend seamlessly with the original gilding.
The frame also originally had a decorative mitre cover at each corner in the shape of a slim, pointed leaf. This ornament was made from a thick paper, gilded, and pinned into place to cover the joints. Sadly only one of these mitre decorations remained, and that one was too damaged to use, although it provided enough information to allow me to construct replicas.
Using conservation grade museum card and the original ornament as a template I created several cut outs. I added the ridge details of the leaves and curled each to fit the curve of the frame, applying a coat of glue size to stiffen the card and help it retain its new shape. Then, I applied a thin coat of ochre bole and finally the oil gilding.
The new slip frame (the inner frame forming the support between the original outer frame and the canvas) was designed and constructed according to what we suspect was the original scheme. We liaised with Paintings Conservators and Curators to determine the precise curve of the top to ensure that none of the unpainted canvas would be left visible and more importantly, that no important details at the edge of the painting would be covered. We traced the curve from the painting surface using a clear film, and then transferred the shape onto the new slip, which was cut to shape and ornamented with a delicate scotia, or ‘scoop’, along the inner edge.
Once the construction was complete, the team of technicians handed the slip over to Frame Conservation where the gilding process could begin. After preparing the wood we applied around 20 layers of gesso (a white, paint-like mixture consisting of a fine chalk powder, mixed with a traditional glue size). The top coat of gesso is finely sanded and around 8 layers of warm yellow bole (a clay like substance) were applied with a soft brush. The final layer was sanded to a mirror shine, ready for gilding.
Considering the sheer size of this slip frame, the volume of gold leaf required for the job was intimidating. However, by working a small section at a time we managed to oil gild the entire slip with a good results.
New gold is obviously extremely bright and so to match the existing patina of the outer frame, we used rottenstone to dull it; this is a fine powdered porous rock which can be worked over the new gilding with fingers or a soft brush and is just abrasive enough to dull the shine and give an aged look to the new gold without damaging it. Now final construction could begin!
Using the largest available space in the galleries’ art store at Granton, we assembled the slip and frame and then our team of conservation technicians set about fitting the painting in safely using cork blocks to pad out any gaps between the canvas edge and inner frame and attaching velvet ribbon to the inside edge in order to protect the face of the painting against the inside of the frame. With huge effort the framed painting was lifted into position and the team could admire the results of years of work and planning.
The mitre decorations were the cherry on top. I added these in situ as the new painting was installed on the wall ready to meet it’s public.
