Arms and Armour Day At The Wallace Collection on 22nd May
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On 22nd May, a group of NADFAS Heritage Volunteers had the privilege to visit the Wallace Collection and to hear a presentation by David Edge, Head of Conservation and Armourer for the Collection. This was followed in the afternoon by hands on experience of handling some original items of historic armour, and examining various methods of conservation. David was joined in the afternoon by Metals Conservator Deborah Lee who showed us some examples of conservation work she was engaged in. Most of the collection is on show and it is the policy of the Wallace Collection to keep as much as possible on display at all times. In his lecture, David Edge told us of the history of the Arms and Armour Collection, and how it was purchased as Art, rather than as military artefacts, and left to the nation in 1897 by the widow of Sir Richard Wallace. The work of a conservator of Arms and Armour is very wide ranging, including as it does, metals, leather work and textiles. Some of the decoration has been painted on, some etched and there are some very fine examples of intricate metal work in silver and gold. Throughout all their efforts to preserve these finishes, modern conservators have to bear in mind the ethical aspects of their work. There is a dichotomy in considering whether the work should be conserved to its original state (often involving a degree of speculation), or kept in the state it was when the Collection was assembled, in the late 19t century. Modern conservators, in all disciplines, should always ensure that any treatment they carry out can be reversed. In the afternoon we were able to handle some of the (genuine) items of armour in the educational handling collection. We saw how the shape and composition of the armour changed and how it was adapted to meet the changing technology of weapons being used against it and how fashion also influenced its design. |
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