Here are pictures of the 'Doom Board' over the reredos screen at the church in Dauntsey, Wiltshire, and Her Indoors working on it, up the scaffold, in situ. I gave her a bit of a hand too, by painting the cloud formation at the very top, etc. I hope I haven't already mentioned this thing, but a quick search through the records suggests that I haven't.These 'Doom Boards' are now very rare, and this is one of only 5 in the country. They were medieval, pictorial warnings about straying off the path of righteousness, and the consequences of doing so. They were generally painted by itinerant specialists who were commissioned by the local gentry, for the purpose of scaring the shit out of their illiterate peasants. This one - a series of oak boards - was taken down and hidden during the Reformation, and only rediscovered in the 19th century, buried inside the church. They have identified the oak that they were made from as coming from within 1 mile of the area, about 7 or 8oo years ago.
Her Indoors's job was to fill the missing sections with the same range of adjacent colours, but in such a way that they can be easily distinguished from the original, at the same time as blending the whole together harmoniously - a technique that has never been done on such an important historical artifact before. A fine job she made of it too - she knows what she is doing when it comes to colour.
That looks really fascinating, she must be really talented to work on something so historic. I recently watched a programme on maps featuring the Mappa Mundi at Hereford Cathedral. I was totally absorbed, I am becoming increasingly interested in historic painted art works. Really interesting post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWe went and saw the Mappa Mundi recently, Suzanne. Many features are easily recognisable - once you know that the centre of the world is Jerusalem. Map making must have been quite an art before satellite photography.
ReplyDeleteShe's beyond awesome!! That's a lot of hard work.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting. Brilliant job both of you. It looks mighty high up near that ceiling!
ReplyDeleteYes, she did all the work whilst I wandered about in the churchyard and smoked cigarettes Amy. I loved that job. It was right near RAF Lyneham too - lots of Hercules aircraft and jet fighters. Did you ever see the film (of the book) 'A Month in the Country'? It was just like that, without WW1.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't too high up, Molly - about 25 feet to the top maybe.
I think I have seen it. Sounds like a great time!
ReplyDeleteIt is a nice, peaceful sort of English film with Kenneth Branagh, and involves the restoration of a fictitious Doom painting after WW1, and a bloke with shell-shock who is knocking off the vicar's wife, who is played by that actor who was in 'Out of Africa' (can't remember her name). I spent my time doing everything except knocking off the vicar's wife.
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