Conserving Kew Garden's Wax Orchid Flower Collection Annette Townsend, 2 November 2011 Conservation experts at Amgueddfa Cymru are called upon by the Royal Botanic Kew to conserve a collection of 25 intricate replicas of orchids — made of beeswax, silk, wire, feather and hair Annette Townsend conserving the wax orchid models Spathglotis lobbi Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers & Oncidium varicosum Lindl. Models in archival packaging In 2005, Amgueddfa Cymru conservators Annette Townsend and Vicky Purewal were asked to survey a collection of wax models belonging to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. It consisted of 25 lifelike models of orchids copied from Kew's living collection of plants by the botanical artist Edith Delta Blackman (1868-1947). Made from beeswax, silk, wire, feather and hair, the models varied in size from a small group of flowers only 10 cm x 10 cm, to a large arching spray over 1 m wide. Correspondence in Kew Garden's archive showed that the models were commissioned in 1893 by their former Director William Thiselton-Dyer at a cost of 4 pounds and 4 shillings per model. Damage and neglect The orchid models were on display at Kew for many years and were then put into storage. An atmosphere that was warmer and drier than ideal took its toll. Such conditions caused the wax to soften, peel and crack, and allowed dirt and dust to permeate the surface of the models, and over time more dust accumulated. The conservation project Fortunately, a visitor to the gardens fell in love with the damaged models and kindly sponsored the conservation of the whole collection. Annette and Vicky have unrivalled experience within the UK in conserving such botanical wax models, gained over many years working together on the Amgueddfa Cymru's unique collection of more than 1000 wax models. Therefore they were approached by Kew to undertake the work. Slow and painstaking process The project was carried out in stages over several years. Wax model conservation is a slow and painstaking process and the extreme fragility of the objects makes their transportation difficult. In 2007, the first group of models was packed up and transported along the M4 to Cardiff for the work to begin. Small pieces of the broken wax were analysed using Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) to determine the composition, so that suitable materials could be chosen for the repairs. Each of the models was photographed, documented, cleaned and restored. Finally, they were very carefully packaged in custom made boxes. Before transportation, each package was tested for stability for the journey back to Kew. The final repair work was completed in 2010 and the last of the models returned to Kew. Restored wax Orchids redisplayed The orchids are currently on display in the Herbarium building at Kew, and can be viewed by visitors to the herbarium. Cymbidium lowianum (Rchb. f.) Rchb. f. Model packaged in a custom made box Vanda coerulea Griff. ex Lindl. Close-up of damaged leaves before conservation. Vanda coerulea Griff. ex Lindl - before conservation Vanda coerulea Griff. ex Lindl - After conservation Bulbophyllum grandiflorum Blume. Leaf showing area where dust has been removed Caularthron bicornutum (Hook.) Raf. Section of model before conservation. External links Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Francsesco Guardi's View of the Palazzo Loredan Anne Pritchard, 6 September 2011 Partially restored View of the Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore on the Grand Canal, Venice Ultra-violet light shows areas of previous retouching This small painting by Francesco Guardi depicts in exquisite detail the embassy of the Holy Roman Empire in Venice. It is set amid the bustle of daily life on the Grand Canal. Washing hangs from balconies, Gondoliers take their boats to and fro, and finely dressed diplomats peer from windows and promenade on the quayside. Among the many figures a gentleman in a blue coat — probably the ambassador himself — stands at the entrance to the palazzo grandly holding a gold sceptre. Above him hangs the imperial crest of the powerful regime which for centuries dominated most of central Europe. Guardi is renowned as one of the great eighteenth century Venetian landscapists known as veduta painters. His works were highly popular and influential among the British artists and collectors who visited Venice on their Grand Tour. This work is a fine example of his mature technique. It combines the detailed precision mastered under the influence of the artist Canaletto with an increasingly expressive use of brushwork, atmosphere and light. Cleaning of the painting by the museum's conservators has revealed the stunning luminosity of these original effects. When this painting initially entered the museum's collection, the brilliance of Guardi's technique was not fully visible. The top layer of varnish which covered the painting had severely discoloured, turning brown with age. Excessive retouching of the sky area had also been carried out, made visible under ultra-violet light. The museum's conservator cleaned the paint surface, removing the old varnish and previous restorations. Tiny black spots in the paint, initially thought to be dirt, were found to be granules of pigment. Similar spots can be seen in other works by the artist, who would have ground and mixed his own paints. With the full clarity and radiance of Guardi's original work revealed, the painting was re-varnished and placed on display. Before and after cleaning Museum conservators have been busy cleaning the image, here is a before and after view of the image: View of the Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore on the Grand Canal, Venice [before cleaning] View of the Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore on the Grand Canal, Venice [after cleaning]
The Derek Williams Trust Collection 6 May 2011 NMW A(L) 606 Ceri Richards The Pianist 1949 Pencil, indian ink and watercolour 38.2 x 56.2 cms On loan from the Derek Williams Trust since 1984 © Estate of Ceri Richards. All rights reserved, DACS 2010 NMW A(L) 561 Josef Herman Three Welsh Miners About 1966 Oil on canvas 66 x 51 cms On loan from the Derek Williams Trust since 1984 Copyright of Artist's Estate NMW A(L) 577 Ben Nicholson 1944-45 (Painting) 1944-45 pencil and watercolour on board 17.2 x 16.8 cms On loan from the Derek Williams Trust since 1984 © Angela Verren Taunt 2010. All rights reserved, DACS. Derek Mathias Tudor Williams F.R.I.C.S. (1929-1984) has been the greatest benefactor to Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales since Gwendoline and Margaret Davies. Derek Williams was a modest and private man, based in Cardiff and Pontypridd as a chartered surveyor, who enjoyed many pursuits, including golf, opera, photography, but most of all collecting contemporary art. He gained immense satisfaction from building his collection and displaying it within his numerous residences. The collection contains a large number of works by the British neo-romantics, including Ceri Richards, John Piper, David Jones and Keith Vaughan. This element is supported by the work of other artists of this period such as Lucian Freud, Josef Herman, Ivon Hitchens, Graham Sutherland, Ben Nicholson and Henry Moore. In 1984 Derek Williams died, requesting in his Will that his collection and the residue of his estate be held in trust, allowing his trustees to undertake the care and public display of the works of art, in addition to contributing to the enhancement of the collection. The Derek Williams Trust was formed by his executors in 1992, which in the following year made a formal agreement with the Museum to work together in order to fulfil the wishes of Derek Williams. The Trust’s collection has since been on long-term loan to the Museum and there have been over fifty works added and more continue to be acquired every year. A number of pictures by leading painters of the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, including Michael Craig-Martin, Craigie Aitchison, Sean Scully and Howard Hodgkin form a strong component of the new additions. The original Derek Williams collection continues to be strengthened and consolidated by the purchase of major works by artists of the mid-twentieth century, among them Ceri Richards, Henry Moore, John Minton and Edward Burra. Interest in contemporary international art has been expressed through the regular purchase of works by artists featured in Artes Mundi. Applied arts are not overlooked by the Derek Williams Trust as they possess an active interest in this area and have acquired eleven works of applied art over the last sixteen years, in addition to assisting the Museum with a number of acquisitions, particularly in the field of ceramics. The Trust also has an interest in work by contemporary Welsh and Wales-based artists, which includes the purchase of work by Eisteddfod Gold Medal-winners. The great generosity and support of The Derek Williams Trust made possible many acquisitions of post-1900 art for the Museum’s own modern art collection, such as David Hockney, Stanley Spencer and Pablo Picasso.
Exotic Marine Fish - evidence of rising sea temperatures around Wales? Graham Oliver, 16 March 2011 Atlantic Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) caught near Peterstone, east of Cardiff. Original fish preserved in spirit. Preparing a model of Atlantic Tripletail in a laboratory at Amgueddfa Cymru. The finished model of Atlantic Tripletail. In the past few years fishermen and members of the public have been reporting unusual catches and strandings of marine fish from around our shores — fish that would normally live in much warmer, tropical waters. Is this further evidence of rising sea temperatures around the shores of Wales? These specimens are brought to National Museum Cardiff for identification, where they are incorporated into the national collections. In order to display their natural colours, painted casts are made and exhibited alongside the actual fish preserved in fluid. The first UK sightings of tropical Tripletail In 2006, an Atlantic Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) was caught in a fisherman's net in the Bristol Channel, near Peterstone, east of Cardiff. As the fisherman did not recognize the 60cm specimen, he brought it to the Museum for identification. Tripletails are normally found in tropical and subtropical waters, and this individual is the first record from UK waters. We know that these fish like muddy estuaries, which may be part of the reason it was in the Bristol Channel. They are semi-migratory, often associating themselves with floating debris, and it is possible it travelled here via the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Jacks, Swordfish and Leatherbacks Another exotic catch was of a juvenile Jack, caught off the entrance to Milford Haven in August 2007. It is difficult to identify juvenile Jacks and the specimen needed to be X-rayed to confirm that it was the first Welsh record of an Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana). This species is usually found in the warm waters of the Caribbean, but between July and September 2007 six were found along the south and west coasts of Britain, doubling the number of records since the first in 1984. Then in 2008 a 2.2metre-long Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) was found dead on a beach near Barry in south Wales. Although this was not a new record, this oceanic species is seldom caught in Welsh waters. These records of warm-water fish appear to be further evidence of rising sea temperatures. The findings coincide with increasing numbers of turtles, especially Leatherbacks, in the Irish Sea. However, the occurrence of exotic marine species is not new, and the Gulf Stream has frequently brought warmer water animals to our shores. Most recently, two species of shipworm (Bankia gouldi and Uperotus lieberkindii) have been found in timbers washed up on the Lleyn Peninsula in north Wales. These are both warm-temperate and tropical species, and have not been recorded before from the UK. The establishment of such exotic species around the British coastline, or at least an increase in their frequency, would reflect real changes in their geographical range. The recording of marine species is vital to our recognition of such events, and the role of fishermen and the public cannot be underestimated — indeed we welcome this participation, and look forward to the arrival of the next mystery creature at the enquiry desk. Juvenile specimen of an Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana) caught at Milford Haven. X-ray image of the juvenile Almaco Jack, used to help confirm its identification. The Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) found dead on Barry beach. Note the damage to the side of the fish, probably caused after death. Boarfish (Capros aper) found off the coast of Wales. Although not a rare fish, it is rarely seen as it tends to live in deeper waters.
Old cures: Amgueddfa Cymru's Historic Medicine Collection Victoria Purewal, 22 October 2010 Some examples from the materia medica collection, stored in glass jars. Nearly all medical benefits and cures come from nature. Even one of the most deadliest human diseases, malaria, was first treated with the extract from the bark of a South American tree. Amgueddfa Cymru holds a remarkable collection of materials used in historic medical remedies. In 2007, Amgueddfa Cymru were gifted a collection of 469 materia medica specimens from Professor T.D. Turner OBE of the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University. It includes material of animal and plant origin, such as bark, roots, leaves and resins, which were the traditional sources of medicinal drugs. The collection will help visitors and students wishing to learn more about current and historic medicines. Life or Death The amount of active ingredients within each plant can vary, but would often make the difference between life and death. The active chemical constituents such as alkaloids, glycosides or tannins were released by, for example, macerating or chewing the material or making an extract or a tincture. Many of these constituents have since been identified and isolated and are now used in their pure form in modern pharmaceuticals. Kola nuts, the original ingredient of the medicinal Coca Cola of 1886 Kola Nuts and Coca leaves The Coca Cola we know today was originally derived from Mariani's Coca Wine and then John Pemberton's Coca Cola, originally intended as a patent medicine to act as a tonic and help calm the stomach. The constituents were sarsparilla, coca leaf and kola nuts. Kola nuts are a high source of caffeine and, although this has been substituted today, caffeine and sarsparilla are still important components of present day Coca Cola. The Kola nut of Western Africa (Cola acuminata) was chewed or brewed into a stimulating tea. Coca leaf (Erythroxylum coca), the plant from which cocaine is derived, originated from the Andean highlands of South America, was also chewed to diminish sensations of hunger and fatigue, and to aid digestion. It is believed that the Aztecs gave their slaves coca leaf to help them move the huge stone masses for building their pyramids. Coca leaf is still used by Peruvians to help combat altitude sickness. Cocaine was extracted and used as the first local anaesthetic primarily for eye and dental surgery. Cinchona bark from Tropical South America, containing anti-malarial quinine. Tree bark to treat malaria Some barks have been used for medicinal purposes. In Britain, the best known is probably willow bark (Salix alba), from which aspirin is derived. Even the leaves of the willow have helped with pain relief — Hippocrates recommended their use in 5BC. The bark of the Cinchona tree has equally important characteristics. Cinchona also known as Jesuit Bark is a genus of about 25 species native to tropical South America. The bark contains a source of a variety of alkaloids, the most familiar being the anti-malarial and anti-fever compound, quinine. These compounds interfere with the protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmoidium, which cause malaria. Potable, bottled water in colonial India was carbonated and spiked with quinine to both improve the flavour and prevent the onset of malaria, and hence became Indian Tonic Water. The Ordeal or Calabar Bean, from Calabar in south-east Nigeria. The Ordeal Bean: Die if guilty, survive if innocent The name Calabar Bean (Physostigma venosum) is derived from the locality of Calabar in south-east Nigeria, where it was used in 'trial by ordeal', notably in cases of witchcraft — hence its alternative name, the Ordeal Bean. The bean would be ground up and placed in a drink given to the accused. It was assumed that a guilty person would nervously sip the concoction, causing certain death. An innocent person, in contrast, would knock back the whole drink with bravado, which would generally be too much for the stomach, which would expel the poison quickly. Consequently, death was taken as a sign of guilt, but surviving was a sign of innocence. Its medical significance was discovered in 1855 and it is now the basis of the highly important drug physostigmine, used to treat reduced bladder control, glaucoma and delayed gastric emptying. Blistering beetles are distributed widely from southern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia. Blistering beetles These beetles are known as Cantharides or Blistering beetles (Lytta vesicatoria). Crushing the insect body releases the chemical cantharidin, which is aggressively stimulating to mammalian skin and internal organs. It was found to be a successful aphrodisiac by causing irritation or stimulation to the urinary tract. It has even been successfully used on cattle to encourage mating. The nutmeg, believed to look like our brain. Nutmeg If a plant has a shape or form that in any way resembles part of the human body, then that plant was once believed to heal that part. The humble nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), because it superficially looks like a human brain, has been associated with powers surrounding the brain and mind. This has been accepted through folklore as nutmeg also has psychoactive components. Nutmeg contains the alkaloid myristicin which, is narcotic and toxic, and large doses can cause hallucinations, nausea, vomiting and circulatory collapse; very large doses can be fatal. Nutmeg is a fruit endemic to Banda, the largest of the Molucca Spice Islands of Indonesia. The seed was highly sought, for its medicinal properties (it was thought to ward off the plague) and as a symbol of wealth and opulence; a person with a handful of nutmegs in their possession in the late 1600s would have been financially secure for life. The bloody wars that ensued to control the nutmeg plantations resulted in the death of 6,000 Bandanese people. Between the 17th and mid-20th centuries, the Dutch had full control of the Spice Islands. They sometimes kept the price of this spice artificially high by setting fire to their own warehouses full of nutmegs. The British fought bitterly to gain control of Run, one of the smaller Spice Islands, which resulted in the Dutch giving Britain Manhattan Island in exchange for Run. Nutmeg has been considered to be a useful medicinal herb in a number of Asian societies. It has been used to treat digestive problems and as an aphrodisiac; it has been claimed to combat asthma and heart complaints, and is still used as a sedative and as flavouring agent. Japanese Star Anise, physically similar to the culinary spice Chinese Star Anise. Star Anise There are two types of Star Anise: one is the commonly used Chinese spice (Illicium verum) and the other is the Japanese Star Anise (Illicium anisatum). When dried they are very difficult to tell apart, but one is harmless and the other toxic. The only way to separate the two conclusively is to conduct chemical analysis or to examine the shape of their calcium oxalate crystals. The trees also look similar, so, understandably in the past these spices have been combined and sold as foodstuffs. Japanese star anise contains several active components that cause severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs. Consumers have been hospitalised with neurological symptoms after ingesting excessive doses of Japanese star anise or smaller doses of products adulterated with the fruit. Cases of illness, including serious neurological effects such as seizures, have also been reported after using star anise tea, and this may be a result of mixing up the Japanese and Chinese species. Medicinally Japanese Star Anise is used as a carminative, to relieve toothache and to stimulate the kidneys and promote urination. The leaves and seeds are also anti-bacterial. Castor sac of the mature North American Beaver Castor Canadensis. Beaver Castor sac This unusual item is a singular castor sac of the mature North American Beaver Castor Canadensis. It is also known as Castor Fibre and is similar to the anal gland in dogs. The castor sac secretes a yellowish substance called castoreum, which the beaver uses in combination with its urine to scent-mark its territory. Both male and female beavers possess a pair of castor sacs located in two cavities under the skin between the pelvis and the base of the tail. Historically, castoreum has been used in the treatment of hysteria and menstrual cramps, and was used successfully for cardiac disease. Today, it is used in beaver trapping, as a tincture in some perfumes and is even touted as an aphrodisiac. Castoreum is also used in small amounts to contribute to the flavour and odour of cigarettes. Hopefully Amgueddfa Cymru's materia medica collection will be expanded in the future. The collection is open to the public, but currently only by appointment so please contact (029) 2057 3224 or (029) 2057 3119 prior to your visit.
