The Commissioner’s House Ceiling Painting: Restoring Its Former Glory
The Commissioner’s House Ceiling Painting: Restoring Its Former Glory
This month, the Commissioner’s House renovation project has reached a significant milestone. The grand ceiling painting has completed a six-week restoration by Francis Downing Ltd.
Condition Audit
In 2023, the Trust’s Collections Team undertook a condition audit of the ceiling painting. This audit provided the foundation for a detailed long-term plan to continue preserving the painting.
It was discovered that ingrained dirt covered layers of discoloured resin varnish on the paint surface. The painting had been conserved many times in the past, resulting in over-cleaning and ‘thinning’ of original paint.
To counter the effects of the previous conservations, retouching and excessive overpainting had been carried out. Unfortunately, this had been applied clumsily in areas, leaving large sections of matt, cloudy, and discoloured paint. These are visible in both natural and ultraviolet light.
There was also evidence that the paint and varnish used during these works had reacted differently across the whole painting.
Planning the Work
Due to the nature of the panel painting being suspended on the ceiling, it was identified by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust that specialist skills were required.
Francis Downing was commissioned to undertake the specialist conservation needed. He is an Accredited Icon Conservator, and Francis Downing Ltd’s studio combines over forty years of experience with ‘up-to-date’ conservation equipment and techniques.
The painting provided further challenges with its location being above the Commissioner’s House’s central staircase. A special platform scaffold had to be built over the staircase to provide access. This meant the stairs were out of commission for six weeks during the continuing renovations of the remainder of the house.
Restoration Works
During the six weeks, Francis undertook light remedial work on the painting, choosing to go with a minimal intervention approach that would preserve the look and feel of the piece as it had aged but removing and consolidating vulnerable elements to preserve it for future generations.
Work carried out included:
- Careful dusting and surface cleaning to remove ingrained dirt.
- Consolidation of loose and flaking paint along panel joins using a conservation adhesive applied by syringe and small brush.
- Removal of upper layers of discoloured resin varnish, whilst patchy, heavier areas of older varnish were only removed where possible (much of this varnish has become infused with the paint due to poorly applied and excessive solvents during previous restorations).
- Careful removal of contemporary ‘over-paint’ used in the clouds.
- Remedial work to minor flaking with the use of conservation-grade putty, which required appropriate ‘in-painting’. Any further new ‘in-painting was kept to a minimum.
Protecting the Legacy
Thanks to support from the Pilgrim Trust, Historic Houses Foundation, The Leche Trust, and The Idlewild Trust.
The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust are proud to care for this significant artwork within the Commissioner’s House for generations to come.
About the Painting
The ceiling painting in the Commissioner’s House was first commissioned by the Navy Board to be installed in the Great Cabin of HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN (1st rate ship) in 1701.
The painting depicts an assembly of the Roman Gods, witnessing Neptune (God of the Sea) crowning Mars (God of War).
The painting is attributed to Thomas Highmore (1660-1720), a specialist in non-figurative decorative painting, and he was the Serjeant-Painter to King William III. A Serjeant-Painter was appointed by the monarch and was responsible for the decoration of royal palaces.
It is believed that the figurework was painted by James Thornhill, one of Highmore’s apprentices at the time. Thornhill (circa 1675-1734) was an English painter who excelled at the large-scale decoration of grand interiors of the Italian Baroque. He followed in his Master’s footsteps and later became Serjeant-Painter to King George I.
HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN was rebuilt in 1728 and broken up at Chatham in 1768, and it can be assumed that the painting has been on display in Commissioner’s House since the 18th century.
