Kirstin T. Moffitt
Since antiquity, paint has been used to transform ordinary surfaces into extraordinary examples of exotic, valuable, and aesthetically pleasing woods. Bird’s eye maple, oak, ebony, mahogany, rosewood and more have been imitated in both oil and distemper through the careful layering of opaque and transparent layers, deceptive brushwork, and a certain degree of technical skill. An expression of wealth and status in early American homes, by the first quarter of the 19th century graining was so common that Nathaniel Whittock noted in his Painters’ and Glaziers’ Guide (1827) that “very great improvement has been made within the last ten years in the art of imitating the grain and color of various fancy woods…there are few respectable houses erected, where the talent of the decorative painter, is not called into action, in graining doors, shutters, wainscots, &c.”
When a surface has been overpainted, as is often the case with furniture and architecture, cross-section microscopy may be the only way to determine if a surface was grained in the past. For the analyst/conservator who studies painted surfaces using this technique, a distinctive buildup of characteristic, colorful layers are typical of imitation graining in cross-section, but these finishes can vary widely in appearance due to their materials and method of application. Unless successfully exposed for study through the removal of overpaint, it is challenging to understand important characteristics of a graining finish including the species of wood imitated, the grain pattern, and the style of painting. In an effort to study and better understand historic graining in early America, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CW) has collaborated with outside analysts, architectural historians, and paint experts to explore this widespread decorative trend.
This talk will examine findings from surviving historic graining examples on architecture and furniture to establish a correlation between various types of imitation graining and their resulting appearance in cross-section under the microscope. Where applicable, data collected using additional techniques including SEM-EDS, PLM, XRF, and FTIR to better understand the pigment, media, and varnish components of graining finishes will be shared. These results will be contrasted with directives found in historical graining treatises, and the evolution of graining techniques from the 18th through the mid-19th century will be explored. Examples will focus on exposed 18th and 19th-century vernacular graining in the CW collection as well as select historical sites in the southeastern United States including the Carolina Room- a grain-painted paneled period room (CW), the Cogar Shop doors (CW), various grain-painted furniture in the CW collection, as well as surviving architectural graining from Brice House (Annapolis, MD), Stratford Hall (Stratford, VA), the Schorsch House (Portsmouth, NH), Monumental Church (Richmond, VA), Wilton (Hartfield, VA), and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (Charlottesville, VA).