Director Alan Lamb
Sculpture Conservation
Case studies
Lucius Verus, Holkham Hall
Client - Lord Leicester
The replacement in Carrara marble of a poor quality
plaster repair, to the leg of a 2nd century Roman
statue of Emperor Lucius Verus. Also repairs to hands.
Somerset House Pediment Sculptures
Client - English Heritage
Nathanial Smiths’s 1760 pediment sculptures on
the south portico of Somerset House are constructed
from a complex sandwich of European Redwood
planks and blocks. Paint samples revealed over
thirty layers of paint, many painted directly over
layers of dirt! Many of the pine blocks were loose
or decayed and these were re-fixed or replaced as
appropriate. Replacement carving was carried out
in situ to carefully replicate the original work.
Other work at Somerset house has included the
carving and gilding of two frames for bas relief
carvings by Rysbrack, for the Hermitage exhibition.
St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Client - Dean and Canons of Windsor
Work at St George’s includes the repair of the
late 18th century coadestone Virgin and Child
in the centre of the West Front. A new head of
Christ and a missing shoulder on the Virgin were
modeled in clay 9% oversize to allow for shrinkage
and a plaster mould produced. Several “coadestone”
type clays were produced using a British Museum
analysis of original coadestone as our starting point.
Extensive experimentation within the parameters of
the analysis eventually produced a material that had
highly predictable shrinkage and firing characteristics,
and matched the original statue closely for density,
colour and texture. The repairs were attached using
mechanical fixings that allow for future removal
without damage to the original piece. The fine joint
lines were then filled with a silica sand and lime
mortar.
Alan Lamb has also overseen the design and production
of over forty new grotesques for St George’s Chapel.
Coke Memorial, Tittleshall
The replacement of missing carving on the 1805
Carrara marble monument by Joseph Nollekens
including rebuilding the hands of one of the figures.
Other work in the church includes the replacement
of missing carving on a 16th century alabaster tomb.
The photo shows the repair before gilding and toning
Coadestone
Timber
Carrara Marble
Carrara Marble
Timber/Gilding
The Prince Regent’s Bed, Uppark
Client - National Trust
Replacement of fire damaged wings and limbs from putti on the canopy of the Prince
Regents bed. Cleaning and conservation of existing gilding and matching gilding on
the replacement carvings.
Swan Farm Studios Ltd
