MA Conservation of Wall Painting

Location: Vernon Square Kings Cross, London, WC1X 9EP (during The Courtauld Connects project)

Status: Full-time

Duration: Full-time: 3 years

Intake: 4

Awarding Body: University of London

Application Deadline is available on ‘How to Apply‘ page.

UK qualifications: Students will normally have achieved a good 2.1 in a humanities or sciences Bachelor’s degree, considered to be an overall average 65% or above.

Overseas qualification: Equivalent to a good 2.1 in a UK first degree (e.g. US applicants should have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above).

If you hold a qualification from outside of the UK, please contact the Admissions Team at pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk

Interviews: The interview process consists of a personal interview before a board; tests of manual dexterity and colour vision; and a brief written test requiring comment on a variety of wall paintings.

English language requirements: If your first language is not English, we require proof of English language proficiency –please see the English Language Requirements page.

Other requirements:

Previous conservation experience is not required, though some understanding of the nature of wall painting conservation is desirable. Students must have normal colour vision.

The three-year MA programme is structured to provide a broad foundation in wall painting conservation through formal courses, closely supervised fieldwork, and research. The balance shifts over the three years with the third year devoted entirely to fieldwork and research.

Year 1

The objective is to provide the necessary grounding with teaching in chemistry and physics for conservation, the materials and technology of wall paintings and their supporting structures, and of conservation materials; to develop an appreciation through historical study of paintings and their conservation; to introduce issues of change and deterioration, and principal conservation interventions; and to foster the development of practical, research and critical skills, and practice in documentation. Site visits and a period of fieldwork are also components of the first year.

Year 2

The objective is to complete formal training with courses in diagnosis and control of environmental deterioration, scientific examination of wall paintings, and the theory, materials and practice of advanced remedial interventions; to provide for extended periods of fieldwork to allow the synthesis and application of knowledge gained through formal instruction, and the development of practical skills and judgement; and to prepare for the final-year research project by means of a literature survey and project proposal.

In preparation for the final-year research project, the students select a topic, undertake a literature survey and submit a proposal for consideration by the International Advisory Board at their July meeting.

Year 3

With major fieldwork programmes and an individual research dissertation, the third year objectives are to develop diagnostic, analytical, practical, and communication skills related both to conservation and research through extended fieldwork programmes and individual research projects.

Research Project

The objectives are to identify and structure a research topic, and to demonstrate the acquisition of the requisite methodological and communication skills to carry out the project. The research may be on any aspect of the materials and techniques of wall paintings or of the methods or materials used in their conservation, examination, or recording. Many incorporate skills developed throughout the formal teaching while expanding additional expertise in research, planning, implementation, information management and networking. The resulting research leads to the acquisition of highly transferrable skills which can lead directly to specific career paths, as well as providing a significant contribution to research in the field.

Students are allocated approximately three months during term in the third year for work on their research project. Supervision is provided on a structured basis, and for specialist areas may also involve an external supervisor in additional to the departmental supervisor. A dissertation of 18,000 words (excluding appendices) is examined by the Board of Examiners and also forms part of the oral examination at the end of the year. Examples of MA research carried out in the department.

Fieldwork

The objectives are to continue developing practical and diagnostic skills by participating in an expanding range of conservation programmes. The balance of the year is taken up with field projects.

Most of the Department’s fieldwork projects involve conservation, research and teaching, though a minority are devoted purely to research. A high supervisor to student ratio ensures that the students benefit from an excellent level of supervision. The MA is exceptional in that all the travel and accommodation costs for fieldwork are paid by the Department.

Current and recent projects:

UK: The 14^th-century wall paintings at Longthorpe tower are an important survival of domestic wall painting in England, and the focus of a new collaboration with English Heritage. Building on investigations carried out by the department in the 1990s, this project seeks to address the conservation and presentation issues raised by previous interventions and historic structural issues.

For a short film on the project follow this link.

India: The Conservation of Wall Painting Department has been studying and conserving the splendid 18^th-century wall paintings at Nagaur fort since 2005. Working in collaboration with the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, the project was previously supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust and the Getty Foundation, and more recently by the Leon Levy Foundation and Edgbaston Investment Partners. In 2013 the Leon Levy Foundation Centre for Conservation Studies at Nagaur was set up with laboratories and other facilities to support the fieldwork and conservation training.

India: A technical and conservation study of the paintings at the Garh Palaces in Bundi was recently completed with the support of AkzoNobel. Bundi fort holds some of the finest surviving wall paintings in Rajasthan, dating from the 16^th century. The project was a partnership between the Kuldevi Ashapura Mataji Trust, Leon Levy Foundation, Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Maharaja Jitendra Singh of Alwar. Paintings in the Badal Mahal and Chattar Mahal were examined with portable analytical techniques and recorded with high resolution imaging techniques.

China: In China, we work in collaboration with the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty Conservation Institute at the extraordinary site of Dunhuang, with some 500 painted cave temples, dating from the 5th to the 14th centuries.

Bhutan: Conservation of 16th-century and later wall paintings at Tamzhing Monastery, and of the 17th-century wall paintings at Tango Monastery. Tamzhing retains the earliest surviving wall paintings in Bhutan, while those at Tango are considered to be the finest paintings in the country. Both projects were collaborations with the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs of Bhutan, and follow on from a major survey of Bhutanese wall paintings undertaken by The Courtauld and the Department of Culture in 2008-12.

Georgia: conservation investigations into the internationally important late 12^th-century wall paintings in the Church of the Dormition in the cave monastery of Vardzia. The project was a collaboration with the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia and the Tbilisi Apollon Kutateladze State Academy of Arts.

Malta: Conservation of the Baroque ceiling paintings of the Church of Our Lady of Victory in Valletta, undertaken in collaboration with Din L-Art Helwa (National Trust of Malta). Other conservation projects in Malta include the 16^th-century and later paintings in the Presidential Palace and the 18^th-century paintings in the Grandmasters’ crypt at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

The Conservation of Wall Painting Department is equipped with its own laboratories and specialist library. The Department is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for multispectral imaging as well as portable microscopy, and FTIR, XRF and Raman spectroscopy. It houses major collections of wall painting fragments and samples from around the world, the archive of the Survey of Historic Wall Paintings in the British Isles and a specialist library including many rare items.

Students benefit from access to a wide range of research facilities at both the Institute and other parts of the University of London, as well as other major libraries nearby. Close collaboration with scientists and conservators in the national museums and heritage organisations offers further opportunities for training and research.

The Department is also closely linked with The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at the Courtauld, with its own specialist library on Asian art. Both the Wall Painting Department and the Ho Centre periodically hold conferences and public lectures in association with the Research Forum and museums and other institutions from outside The Courtauld, and benefit from contributions by Visiting Conservators. The Wall Painting Department also acts as a centre for conservation and art-historical advice to outside conservators, scholars and the public.

Teaching: Continuity in instruction and supervision is provided by permanent staff, but considerable advantage is also taken of supervision and teaching by established practitioners and leading international specialists.  The various teaching methods and types of work required of the students are related to the objectives of each component of the programme and include lectures, seminars, student seminars, essays, and reports.  Practical work takes place in the department and on site. There are also regular meetings with your personal tutor to discuss progress and general issues, and to receive feedback after presentations.

Assessment: Both formal and informal mechanisms of assessment are used. Formal assessment comprises written examinations and practical oral examinations administered by a Board of Examiners. Informal, continuous assessment is carried out by the staff, and is based on didactic exercises—essays, seminars, revision questions, etc.—and supervision of practical work. Students must demonstrate competence in each of the subject areas in order to be advanced in the programme.

At the end of the first and second years, students sit written examinations and viva voce examinations on all aspects of their performance.

Final assessment at the end of the third year is based on the examination of the dissertation and the oral examination on all aspects of the student’s performance. For the final assessment of the MA, students receive a distinction, pass, or fail.

On graduation, students join a long list of Courtauld alumni who have gone on to have a major impact in the conservation of wall paintings and other aspects of cultural heritage through roles at leading institutions of global prominence including International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) China; the Getty Conservation Institute; and English Heritage.

To support you through the degree, we offer:

Wellbeing: We have a dedicated Wellbeing team, with counsellors and advisors.

Academic and practical skills: You will be offered consistent access to your personal tutor and the the academic teaching staff. The small number of students allow us to create an exceptionally supportive environment.

2020/21 fees are available to view here.

Fees are subject to change each academic year. Fee information, including what qualifies as home, EU, and overseas fees, can be found here.

Financial support for your studies:

Postgraduate Master’s Loan: Please visit the Student Finance England website for further information and to apply online .

Courtauld Institute of Art Scholarships: Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit combined with financial need. The average postgraduate scholarship awarded in 2019/20 was £6,000. Applications are welcomed from Home, EU and Overseas students applying to or currently studying in 2020/21.

Alumni Loyalty Scheme: This scheme is open to any graduate of The Courtauld Institute of Art admitted to a taught postgraduate programme of study. Recipients will receive a 10% loyalty discount off their tuition fee for the duration of the course.

Further information about loans, grants, and bursaries to support you during your studies at The Courtauld can be found on our Funding pages.

The MA in Wall Painting Conservation is exceptional in that all the travel and accommodation costs for fieldwork are paid by the Department.