A room transposed: A technical and historical study of the King's Room, Westwood Manor, Wiltshire, UK

Abstract

This study discusses recent a technical study of 20 panel paintings in the King's Room at Westwood Manor, which form one of the few early modern British portrait sets to remain displayed within a holistic decorative scheme. Technical evidence was interpreted to elucidate the relationship between the portrait set and the rest of the decorative scheme, and that among the paintings in the set, including their construction and condition. Evidence for the use of different styles of grounds, drawing and paint application suggests that the portraits were executed by different hands or workshops, while the range of materials is consistent with seventeenth-century painting practice. Technical and documentary evidence suggest that the King's Room was constructed from the portrait panels from Keevil Manor, another Tudor property, and oak panelling boards from other sources. The study places the King's Room at Westwood in the context of the early twentieth-century antiquarian trend to alter English manor houses. Special conservation issues related to the historic and current function of the King's Room are discussed, including aspects of deterioration and former treatment of the room and portrait panels.

Keywords:

• Portrait
• English monarchs
• Panel
• Antiquarian
• Painted decoration
• National Trust

Acknowledgements

We are thankful to Cleo Nisse, Courtauld Institute of Art; William Luckhurst, King's College London; Klaas-Jan van den Berg and Susan de Groot, Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.