National Trust uses acne laser to give antiques a facelift
THE National Trust has used “acne lasers” to restore historic treasures, experimenting with cosmetic technology to peel back layers of paint on chairs used by JMW Turner.
Experts are pioneering the use of the Erbium YAG laser, ordinarily used to purge skin defects including acne scars and wrinkles, to clear blemishes on valuable antiques.
Chairs at Petworth House in West Sussex, likely used by Turner during a painting sojourn at the stately home, have been cleaned by National Trust staff in the charity’s first experiment in using the cosmetic technology for conservation.
The Erbium laser works by heating evaporating moisture to vaporise tissue, and it has been trained on a set of 17th-century Baroque chairs to remove layers of unwanted paint from earlier attempts at redecoration to reveal the furniture’s original state.
National Trust conservator Emma Schmuecker said the pieces had been retouched by past owners with “layers of aged bronze paint over the original gilding”. She added: “Our usual approach wasn’t removing it effectively, so we turned to the laser which, combined with appropriate solvents, lifted it away cleanly. The laser is a very new tool for conservators.”
The chairs, which may have been used by Turner and Dutch master Van Dyck on their stays at Petworth, were first purchased in 1636 by Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland.
Petworth and the chairs passed from the Percy to the Wydham family, who invited Turner to stay at the home and paint on several occasions.
The National Trust has said the new laser technique could be used to restore other treasures, such as paintings, in the future.
Hilary Mcgrady, the trust’s director general, said: “We are deeply committed to looking after all of the collections in our care, not just using the best of tried and tested methods but also the latest technology.”