Conserving and mounting a Chertsey Tile panel
These ceramic tiles are among the finest examples produced in
Medieval Britain and were excavated at Chertsey Abbey in
1861. Since then they have been restored many
times.
In 2009 they were put on display in the Medieval Europe gallery
and further conservation work was needed. This was
because restoration materials used in the past were
deteriorating and had the potential to cause damage to the tiles if
left in place. These materials can now be replaced with more
appropriate modern materials that have been tested to ensure their
stability now and in the future.
Another reason for the work was that the
way in which the tiles had been previously restored is now thought
to be misleading. It was decided to reduce the amount of
restoration so that the tiles looked more as it is thought they
were originally intended.
The first task was to dismantle the panel and
remove as much of the old restoration as possible. This was mainly
carried out using small hand tools such as scalpels and spatulas.
A nineteenth century repair using slate and screws was
discovered which can also be seen on an X-radiograph of another of
the Chertsey tile panels. Once all the tiles had been carefully
cleaned, larger missing areas were filled using fine casting
plaster. These areas were painted with acrylic paint to resemble,
but not replicate, the original, so that it is now possible to
distinguish between original and restored areas. Each tile was then
bonded onto an aluminium sheet cut to the exact shape of the panel
to support it when mounted in the gallery.
The tile panel took around 150 hours to
conserve and mount. In accordance with conservation ethics all
materials used were carefully selected and recorded to ensure
the treatment is reversible. This way, in the future, all
of the materials can be easily removed and replaced if
necessary.