Academic thesis
| Lucie Hoppenstedt: | Entering a Rural Idyll - A Decorative Wall Painting from 1922 in the Hall of a Country House in Lüben – Composition, Condition, and Considerations for Conservation and Restoration. | Back |
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| Abstract: | The purpose of this paper is to document and report on investigations into the condition of a recently rediscovered mural found in the entrance hall of a listed country home in Lüben, with a view to conservation and restoration. The house itself was bult in 1920, while the mural is dated 1922. Later, parts of the mural were painted over, and the whole wall was eventually covered over with wallpaper, only to be rediscovered during renovation work carried out in 2023 and 2024. The mural is polychrome, painted on a flat wall without moulding, but in a style reminiscent of these 3d elements. It comprises a frieze consisting of floral ornaments and motivational lettering, both applied with stencils, as well as two painted panels containing pastoral imagery, and below this frieze, a series of coffered panels with a faux finish reaching the floor. The purpose of this paper is to document the mural, to analyse its composition with regard to the technologies and techniques used, to assess its current condition, and to consider and give recommendations for what conservation and restoration measures ought to be taken. The investigative methods used included: historical and cultural contextualisation, macroscopic analysis in the context of architectural phenomenology, microscopic analyses, UV fluorescence, IR thermography, histochemical staining, sampling, cross-section microscopy, FTIR analysis and colour value determination. The results show a multi-layered composition including various binding agents, upon a support of earthen plaster covered with a thin lime plaster. The rag-painting faux effect on the coffers belongs to a later phase. The brownish coating, which covers the whole mural, likely also dates to this phase. This coating is heavily damaged and has a very irregular appearance, whereas the support showns few signs of damage. The mural itself is partly faded and shows some deposits, and in a few places there has been a loss of adhesion. Meanwhile, the coating severely affects its readability. Both the coating and the rag painting are alcohol-soluble. The paper discusses preventative conservation measures to protect the mural from further damage as well as restorative methods to potentially remove or thin the coating. Tests on the object show an ethanol compress to be effective in thinning the coating. |
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