Course Overview
We have decided to postpone the 2021/22 intake for the MA in the Conservation of Wall Painting, due to the ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope to be able to open recruitment again for the 2022/23 academic year.
The Courtauld is one of the leading centres in the world for education and research in wall painting conservation. Over the last 30 years, the Conservation of Wall Painting Department has had a major impact on the evolution of the discipline and the care of wall paintings globally. A considerable part of this impact derives from the Master’s programme that aims to ensure the improved care of wall paintings through providing appropriate education in their conservation.
Governed by the philosophy of minimal intervention and an interdisciplinary approach, the education seeks to impart a methodology that emphasises investigation and analysis of component materials and techniques, and diagnosis and control of the causes of deterioration. This aids design of a preventive, passive or remedial conservation strategy that is in line with accepted professional practice, and respects the integrity and significance of the object and its context.
The programme seeks to provide the student with a strong foundation in all aspects of wall painting conservation. On completion students will be able to:
- contribute to the assessment of the significance of the painting and its context;
- examine and assess the original and later materials of both the painting and its support and the implications these have for deterioration and intervention;
- identify relevant factors of deterioration and evaluate the likely effects on the painting of measures proposed for their control;
- contribute to the design and implementation of a programme of conservation which may include: preventative measures; passive measures; emergency and protective interventions; remedial treatments; and design and implement monitoring and maintenance programmes;
- produce full written, graphic and photographic documentation;
- participate in the development of the profession, for instance through the presentation and publication of papers.
Course and Courtauld overview