RESTORATION 



restore ' antique statues by making new arms, legs, 

 in noses, or even lieiuU, to replace such features as 

 were missing ; anil, although sculptors of nou- were 

 employed to do this, it wait eventually daeUUd 

 that the results were not satisfactory- The truth 

 is that up to that time it hiul not IK-CII uactantood 

 that a work of art is the creation of an iiuliviilnal 

 his rendering of an idea nml that another artist, 

 even if living at the same time and in the same 

 mental atmosphere, would hardly grasp that idea so 

 completely as to be able to supply a portion of the 

 work if missing, and much less could one living 

 hundreds of years afterwards be successful in so 

 supplying the missing portion. 



It is, however, with reference to building that 

 restoration in this new meaning is chielly con- 

 cerned. Roughly speaking, by the end of tin; ITlli 

 century all appreciation of tin; artistic qualities of 

 our mediieval buildings had ceased, the art had 

 died out, and given place to the Renaissance (q.v.) 

 style of architecture. But about the middle of the 

 18th century the artistic qualities of medieval archi- 

 tecture began slowly again to obtain a hold upon 

 the people. It seemed to lie looked upon as quaint 

 and romantic, and strange rude imitations of it 

 were made, such as Strawberry Hill, which was 

 built by Horace Wai pole. Such work is now 

 generally described as 'Carpenter's Gothic,' per- 

 haps because the restorers often put in wood- 

 framed windows with ]x>inted arches in feeble 

 imitation of mediaeval work. 



The first attempts to reproduce Gothic work 

 followed upon the decay of the Renaissance style of 

 architecture, and constituted the germ of the modern 

 restoration movement, or Gothic Revival, as it is 

 generally called. This movement began to work 

 actively aliont the beginning of the 19th century, 

 and was largely accelerated uy a revival of activity 

 in the Established Church of England. An impulse 

 was given to the restoration movement by a society 

 railed the Camden Society, and afterwards the 

 Ecclesiological Society, which was oonpond of 

 churchmen and clergy, and started at Cambridge 

 in the year 1840. The memlters of this society 

 studied the history and usages of the church before 

 the Reformation, and by that means found out 

 why our mediu-val churches were constructed in 

 the form in which they have come down to us, and 

 what was the use to which their furniture, such as 

 rood-screens and rood-lofte, sedilia, piscina, credence 

 tables, aumbries, and the like, was put. Before 

 the formation of this society men ha.l already 

 studied mediaeval architecture, and had recognised 

 that there are five distinct styles following one 

 ujpon the other viz. Saxon work, Norman work, 

 Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular work 

 (nee ARCHITECTUKK, GOTHIC AncHiTKiTruK). 

 This classification W.-LS liist made by Thomas 

 Itickinan, ami these terms which he gave have 

 been adhered to. Uur media-vat churches are 

 generally composed of two or three and sometimes 

 of all the styles ; but the modern Gothic revivalists 

 desired, and in many cases still desire, to see the 

 building* complete in one style, and consequently, 

 it an ancient building is composed chiefly of one 

 style, they would destroy all tlie subsequent work 

 and replace it by work designed in the name style. 

 The Mllisequent work thus destroyed is generally 

 spoken of as 'debased ' work. 



Under the influence, of the Camden Society the 

 Perpendicular clerestory anil flat roof were taken 

 oil' the Round Church at Cambridge, and the 

 Jin-sent high-pitched roof, which was thought to 

 IN- more correct, was put on. Each one of the 

 styles was in fashion in its turn, strangely enough, 

 each becoming fashionable in the order in which 

 they were naturally developed. As might be ex- 

 pected, the movement produced specialists, of whom 



Sir Gilbert Scott was the most noted. Into bis 

 hands was placed nearly every cathedral church 

 in England, as well as a countless number of 

 parish churches ; however, he did but follow in the 

 steps of the eliler I'ugin. Long Ix-foiv his death a 

 cry of discontent arose. E\en those who had felt 

 that it might lie possible to imitate the mediaeval 

 work accurately, so as to replace missing featim -. 

 saw that this was a hopeless task, for not a single 

 successful example of ' restoration ' could be pointed 

 to. Ruskin wrote strongly against 'restoration,' 

 urging the folly of attempting to reproduce a lost 

 work of art or any portion of it, and giving it u 

 his opinion that the only right method of treating 

 our ancient buildings such indeed as had not IM-I-II 

 destroyed bv 'restoration' was to repair them 

 structurally liy propping leaning walls and mend- 

 ing leaky roofs. His words did but sound the 

 note which was in the minds of many, and in 

 1877 a society was formed in London calling itself 

 the Society "for the Protection of Ancient Build- 

 ings, and having among its members men of all 

 professions, including the clergy. This society has 

 done its best to point out to those who still helie\e 

 in the jM)ssibility of 'restoration' the destructive 

 character of such work destructive ln>lh of works 

 of art and historical evidences and it has urged the 

 importance of keeping our ancient buildings in 

 thorough and constant repair so as to avoid tin; 

 necessity of wholesale renewal or rebuilding. The 

 society also urges that no purely ornamental feature 

 should ever l>e renewed any more than the antique 

 statue should have its missing features replaced, 

 and that where new features have of necessity to be 

 introduced every effort should be made to keep them 

 harmonious with, but dissimilar from, the ancient 

 work. As examples of ' restoration ' works we may 

 give the north transept of Westminster Abbey and 

 the west side of \\ estminster Hnll, nearly the 

 whole of St Alban's Abbey, the west front of 

 Salisbury Cathedral (where an attempt has even 

 been made to produce mediieval sculpture), Chester 

 Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral ; and, in fact, not 

 a cathedral remains in England that docs not bear 

 marks of the movement. As has been shown, the 

 'restoration ' movement had its origin in England, 

 it has met a check, and shows signs of dyiii", out : 

 although it has spread to Scotland, the Continent, 

 and even to India. Fortunately government has 

 put a check upon it there, and we may hojie 

 that restoration as understood by the school of 

 Sir Cillx'rt Scott is now ancient history. 



Restoration of Pictures. The restoration 

 and the cleaning of pictures may lie considered to- 

 gether: though cleaning, of course, more strictly 

 applies to the removal from their surface of the 

 accretions of dust or discoloured varnish which 

 obscure their beauties, while restoration refers to 

 the reparation of actual flaws in their surfaces of 

 paint, or in the canvas or wood upon which tin 

 paint is laid. When a mastic varnish has been 

 used by the painter, and has become discoloured 

 and opaque, it may U- removed by careful ami 

 gentle friction with the points of the fingers, pre- 

 viously covered with a resinous powder, which 

 frays off particles of the hardened coating in the 

 form of a line white dust. When copal varnish 

 has been applied, its removal is more dillicult and 

 dangerous, and is usually effected by an applica- 

 tion of weak alcohol, stunts of turpentine, and oil. 

 A pad nf cotton wool is saturated in this mix- 

 ture, and passed over the surface of the varnish. 

 which it dissolves and removes : a similar pad 

 steeped in pure oil being applied at intervals to 

 stop the action of the spirit when it threatens to 

 disturb the colour beneath the varnish. When 

 portions of the paint or of the ground of priming 

 on which it has been laid have been removed. 



