Case Studies

Our imaging strategies will be applied to diverse works from significant collections including The Hunterian and Glasgow Museums. The focus is on works requiring full-field, high-spectral resolution and stratigraphic pigment/media identification of their structures, where this cannot be obtained using existing non-destructive analysis. Our case studies will include, for example, complex C18th and C19th paintings, sculptures, the Mackintosh House interiors, and contemporary art.

Cross-Disciplinary Analysis – The Abdication of Mary Queen of Scots

The Abdication of Mary Queen of Scots, by Gavin Hamilton (1723-1798), painting, oil on canvas, Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow
The Abdication of Mary Queen of Scots, by Gavin Hamilton (1723-1798), painting, oil on canvas, Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

This analysis forms part of a cross-disciplinary project led by the University of Glasgow that brings together some forty academics and curators to help understand how the legend of Mary, Queen of Scots, has impacted on Scottish society and culture more than four centuries after her death.

The painting by Gavin Hamilton will undergo a full technical examination prior to, and during, treatment in our studios. The work undertaken by the Technical Art History Group and The Hunterian will be supported in part through funding from the Getty Foundation on the Conserving Canvas Training Initiative.

Comparative Analysis – Studies of Thomas Reid

Rev. Thomas Reid, by Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), painting, oil on canvas, Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow
Rev. Thomas Reid, by Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), painting, oil on canvas, Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow
Rev. Thomas Reid, by Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), painting, oil on canvas, Fyvie Castle, © National Trust for Scotland
Rev. Thomas Reid, by Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), painting, oil on canvas, Fyvie Castle, © National Trust for Scotland

This case study will undertake a comparative analysis of portraits of Professor Thomas Reid, FRSE held respectively in The Hunterian, in Fyvie Castle, National Trust for Scotland, and in private collection.

Professor Reid was a leading proponent of the Scottish School of Common Sense, a minister in the Church of Scotland, and an influential figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. In 1764, he succeeded Adam Smith as Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow.

Painted Textile Analysis – Banners

Banner of the Glasgow Typographical Society (recto and verso views), by George Kenning , London, 1883, © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection
Banner of the Glasgow Typographical Society (recto and verso views), by George Kenning , London, 1883, © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection

Our case studies are not limited to paintings, and this study will investigate painted textiles in the form of trade union banners. In particular, we will contextualize and characterize the materials and degradation of five painted banners that were originally manufactured by George Kenning’s companies and are currently held by Glasgow Museums. A key aspect of this study will be a reconstruction of their painting technique used in the manufacture of these banners.