Conservation and Restoration of Clear Coatings on Furniture and ...

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3.2 List educational/Host organisations <strong>and</strong> give a brief outline <strong>of</strong> that enterprise <strong>and</strong> its
structure
a) Royal Collection Decorative Arts <strong>Conservation</strong> Studio, Saint James Palace, London UK
The Royal Collection houses one <strong>of</strong> the world’s most historically important furniture <strong>and</strong> decorative arts collections.
The collection consists <strong>of</strong> objects located within the nine royal properties, <strong>and</strong> over 3000 loaned objects in other
institutions. Due to its sheer size <strong>and</strong> importance as a historical resource, it is managed by a dedicated team <strong>of</strong>
curators, historians, conservators <strong>and</strong> administration staff, operating from St. James Palace. The furniture
conservation workshop is located across from St. James Palace at Marlborough House.
The Decorative Arts <strong>Conservation</strong> Department has three full-time furniture conservators/restorers, two object
conservators, one gilder <strong>and</strong> one armourer. The Royal Collection conservation department practices a unique
conservation ethic that sets it apart from most other conservation departments, unlike a museum where the objects
are maintained in a stable environment, the Palaces house functional <strong>and</strong> working collections. The palaces are not
environmentally controlled, <strong>and</strong> the collections are sometimes subjected to harsh conditions compared with furniture
in museum environments.
Senior Decorative arts conservator Mr. David Wheeler is originally a furniture conservator. David <strong>and</strong> his team,
collectively have a wealth <strong>of</strong> experience <strong>and</strong> exposure to problems associated with maintaining furniture in a
functional state whilst retaining its historic integrity. Due to the functional nature <strong>of</strong> objects in The Royal Collection,
throughout history many objects have been modified or made more practical, dressed up <strong>and</strong> over-coated. The
decisions <strong>and</strong> techniques employed in revealing or removing later additions are very relevant (although on a different
level) to furniture in Australian collections which too are commonly functional, or have been function until recent
times. Much investment has been made in the documentation, history <strong>and</strong> analysis <strong>of</strong> The Royal Collection, thus
they house a fantastic archival resource which encourages much collaboration with specialists from many
conservation fields.
b) Victoria <strong>and</strong> Albert Museum, London UK
The collection at the Victoria <strong>and</strong> Albert Museum consists <strong>of</strong> more than 14,000 pieces from Britain, Europe <strong>and</strong>
America, dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. It is predominantly furniture but also includes related
objects such as architectural <strong>and</strong> decorative woodwork, musical instruments, leatherwork, treen <strong>and</strong> clocks. The
collection also includes complete rooms, some <strong>of</strong> which are on display in the British Galleries.