Hamilton Kerr Institute
TheHamilton Kerr Instituteis a branch of theFitzwilliam MuseuminCambridgeshire,England,dedicated to the study and conservation of easel paintings. It is also part of theUniversity of Cambridge.
Facilities and logistics
[edit]The institute was founded in 1976 through grants from theBaring Foundation,theEsmée Fairbairn Trust,theGulbenkian Foundation,theIsaac Wolfson Foundation,theMonument Trust,and thePilgrim Trust,and continues to finance itself through income from its work and its endowment fund. It is housed in a riverside property, donated byHamilton Kerr,seven miles south ofCambridgein the village ofWhittlesford.The premises consist of a mid-eighteenth century house and converted mill buildings, containing offices and a scientific laboratory, restoration studios, studios for panel treatment and the relining of canvases, and studios for photography. In 1980, the institute opened a studio inLondon.[1]
Notable restoration accomplishments
[edit]- TheWestminster Retable:1998–2004. The Westminster Retable of ca. 1270 was the main altarpiece forWestminster Abbeyduring pre-ReformationEngland.When it was rediscovered in the 18th century, several poorly executed restoration attempts damaged the retable. In 1998, the institute acquired this work, and began work on repairing and restoring it.[2]
- TheThornham Parva Retable.This 15-ft long medieval altarpiece was restored after an eight-year plan. Estimated to be worth millions, the altarpiece is thought to have been created in the 1330s for a Dominican Priory inNorfolk.It now stands in a protective glass case inSt Mary's Church,Thornham Parva.[3]
List of major donors
[edit]The following have made donations:[1]
- Council for the Care of Churches
- J. Paul Getty Trust
- Idlewild Trust
- Samuel H. Kress Foundation
- Paul Mellon Centre
- Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
- Rayne Foundation
- Woodmansterne Publications Ltd
- Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers
- National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies
References
[edit]- ^abHamilton Kerr Institute History PageArchived2 September 2011 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^Bunny Smedley (27 May 2005)."The Westminster Retable at the National Gallery".Archived fromthe originalon 20 November 2008.Retrieved24 December2008.
- ^The Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridge has restored a 15-ft long medieval altarpiece,History Today,2003.
External links
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