Ships Figureheads, The Cutty Sark Exhibition
Richard Rogers Conservation were commissioned to conserve and mount 84 figureheads to be displayed under the helm of the Cutty Sark.
The collection consists of a wide range of figureheads, mostly dating from the 19th century, originating from different types of merchant vessels. Several of these figureheads have no historical information as they may be the sole surviving object from a particular ship.
The treatment carried out by our team varied from general consolidation and treatment of the wood and paint to filling, retouching and painstaking cleaning of the painted surface.
As is always the case our main concern throughout the process was to protect the history of the figureheads through preserving the fundamental material of the pieces and the many layers of decoration applied over the years.
