£3m gift for National Trust to protect our national treasures
A£3 million gift to the National Trust will help it conserve historic objects ranging from Samurai armour at a West home to a 16th-century portrait with a secret, the charity has said.
The gift from American charity the Royal Oak Foundation, which raises support for the National Trust in the US, will help five years of conservation work and protect more than a hundred historic artworks, the Trust said.
It will fund work mainly based at the charity’s specialist conservation studio at Knole, in Kent.
Some of the first objects to benefit from the funding include an oil painting of Sir John Maitland, from Ham House, in London, which is in need of conservation work including removal of varnish and overpaint.
In 2017 X-ray analysis revealed what is believed to be an unfinished portrait of Mary Queen of Scots hidden beneath it, and conservators now hope to learn more about the painting through technical art historical investigations.
A suit of Japanese Samurai armour, one of a set of 27 bought by collector Charles Paget Wade for his home at Snowshill, Gloucestershire, which needs cleaning and treatment on the metalwork and textiles, will curation and conservation director said: “Looking after such a deep and varied collection of fine art and heritage objects for visitors to enjoy carried out the surgery, said: “We requires specialist expertise and don’t often perform general considerable funding. anaesthetics on fish, and large
“Sadly, the Trust does not have ones like this present some sufficient resources to address the logistical challenges, however it treatment, repair and conservation was essential we treated the ray of every item that urgently requires quickly before the tumour spread. it. The Covid pandemic has present“The operation went very well. ed even greater funding challenges.” “We monitored her closely
She said the National Trust’s colwhile the amputation was lections needed conservation or performed and we continued to repair for many reasons, including bathe her skin to ensure it didn’t the effects of aging, light or damp, as dry out. well as damage from insect pests “She has made a full recovery such as silverfish and moths. and we are really hopeful that the
The Trust looks after more than cancer will not return as she one million objects at more than 200 could live for another decade or so.”historicproperties,andmanysurvive in their original settings rather Tamara Canalejas Romera, than in bespoke museum environAquarium Interim Team Leader, ments, which also creates challengsaid: “Even without her tail and es, she said. barb she is still a very impressive
As well as preserving more than stingray and is wonderful to
100 works of art, textiles, books and watch during our targeted feed furniture, the funding will also help training sessions. the Trust to conduct technical “We are all so pleased that the research, acquire extra equipment surgery was a success.” and develop facilities at the studio The Motoro orange-spot ray, for further expertise in painting conwhich has an average lifespan of servation. 20 years, is native to the Amazon
The Royal Oak Foundation was rainforest with the species founded in 1973 by the National displaying a distinctly colourful Trust, to raise awareness and and high-contrast pattern of advance its work by inspiring supbright orange spots surrounded port from the United States. by deep black rings.
Sadly, the Trust does not have sufficient resources to address the treatment, repair and conservation of every item that requires it DR TARNYA COOPER
TAMARA CANALEJAS ROMERA
also benefit. And a set of nine early 17th-century carved, painted and partially-gilded Italianate sgabello chairs from Petworth House, West Sussex, which need structural treatment and conservation of their highly decorative surfaces, are among the first objects that will benefit from the funding.
Dr Tarnya Cooper, the Trust’s