Ernest William Tristram (1882–1952) was a British art historian, artist and conservator, and Professor of Design at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

(1926–1948).

Life

Tristram was born in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

, the son of Francis William Tristram, a railway inspector, and Sarah Harverson. After leaving

Carmarthen Grammar School Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Carmarthen was a selective boys' secondary school in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire. It was founded in 1576 and closed in 1978. Former students Among the school's former pupils were the educationalist Griffith Jones ( ...

he studied at the Royal College of Art. In 1906 he joined the teaching staff, becoming professor of design in 1926. He published on English medieval wall painting, and worked on the conservation of medieval murals with mixed results. He also wrote on the conservation of medieval monuments for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' and the '' Burlington Magazine''. His conservation included work on

King Edward's Chair The Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, is an ancient wooden chair that is used by British monarchs when they are invested with regalia and crowned at their coronation. The chair was commissioned in 1296 b ...

(the coronation chair) in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

."Tristram, E(rnest) W(illiam)"
''Dictionary of Art Historians''. Accessed 18 January 2015. Although best known for his cataloguing and watercolours of existing church murals, Tristram also painted original works. These include chancel wall panels for St Elisabeth's Eastbourne, depicting St John the Baptist and his parents, as well as paintings at

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

and

Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral () is a Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival three-spire Church of Ireland cathedral in Cork (city), Cork city, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Lee and dedicated to Finbarr of Cork, patr ...

in Cork City, Ireland. He retired in 1948 and died in a nursing home in

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge, Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its population was 24,029 in 2011, and was estimated at 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in ...

in 1952.

Publications

* ''English Medieval Wall Painting. The Twelfth Century'' (Oxford University Press, 1944) * ''English Medieval Wall Painting. The Thirteenth Century'' (Oxford University Press, 1950) * ''English Wall Painting of the Fourteenth Century'' (Routledge & Paul, 1955) – posthumous

References

External links

* . Accessed 18 January 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tristram, Ernest William 1882 births 1952 deaths British art historians Conservator-restorers People from Carmarthen Converts to Roman Catholicism Alumni of the Royal College of Art Academics of the Royal College of Art