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The Gambier Parry process is a development of the classical technique of
Stephen Rickerby Gambier Parry developed a spirit medium for use on a specially prepared plaster or canvas ground and in 1862 he published his recipe. Originally it used beeswax, oil of spike lavender, spirits of turpentine, elemi resin and copal varnish, and was complex both in preparing the wall surface and applying the paint. With commercialisation the process was simplified and became widely known. The system was used by Frederic Leighton for '' The Arts of Industry as Applied to War'' and '' The Arts of Industry as Applied to Peace'' at the Victoria & Albert Museum (1870-72) and by Ford Madox Brown on the ''
The Gambier Parry process is a development of the classical technique of fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
for painting murals, named for Thomas Gambier Parry.
True fresco is the technique of painting on fresh lime plaster whereby the pigments are fixed by the carbonatation of the lime (calcium hydroxide). The technique requires no other binding medium and the fixing process produces a durable crystalline paint layer. However, only a limited range of pigments are suitable for true frescoes and the technique requires careful application under controlled conditions, and relatively low humidity thereafter. In some environments, conventional fresco colours can rapidly accumulate dirt and grime. The decoration of the new Houses of Parliament in the mid-nineteenth century saw an embarrassing failure of true fresco in England but had generated a revival in mural painting.Conservation of Lord Leighton's Spirit Frescoes 'War' and 'Peace'Stephen Rickerby Gambier Parry developed a spirit medium for use on a specially prepared plaster or canvas ground and in 1862 he published his recipe. Originally it used beeswax, oil of spike lavender, spirits of turpentine, elemi resin and copal varnish, and was complex both in preparing the wall surface and applying the paint. With commercialisation the process was simplified and became widely known. The system was used by Frederic Leighton for '' The Arts of Industry as Applied to War'' and '' The Arts of Industry as Applied to Peace'' at the Victoria & Albert Museum (1870-72) and by Ford Madox Brown on the ''
Manchester Murals
''The Manchester Murals'' are a series of twelve paintings by Ford Madox Brown in the Great Hall of Manchester Town Hall and are based on the history of Manchester. Following the success of Brown's painting ''Work'' he was commissioned to pai ...
'' in Manchester Town Hall
Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. It is the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments. The building faces Albert Square to th ...
(1879-93). One of the most complete examples of the Gambier Parry process may be seen at St Leonard's Church, Newland, Worcestershire where frescoes cover the interior of the church; St Leonard's is the private chapel of the Beauchamp Almshouses.
References
Painting techniques Fresco painting {{art-technique-stub