Illustrating history

Irish Arts Review

Illustrating historyAuthor(s): Karena MortonSource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 27, No. 1 (SPRING (MARCH - MAY 2010)), pp. 96-101Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25654726 .

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CONSERVATION & RESTORATION ILLUSTRATING HISTORY

Illustrating

history Karena Morton uncovers the evidence of a more

colourful medieval past, through existing fragments discovered within Ireland's tower houses and

religious sites

The Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland records that in 1243, Henry

III ordered a mural of the king and queen sitting with their baron

age to be placed over the 'devis' of the New Hall in Dublin Casde.1

If that commission was ever completed there are no traces of the painting

surviving today. Ireland is not the first country that springs to mind when

considering medieval wall paintings or indeed frescoes, as they are so often

and, sometimes incorrecdy referred to. Wall paintings in Ireland, however,

were far more numerous than might be expected when considering the

often-paltry evidence that survives of them today.

Recent research has identified some eighty medieval buildings with

evidence of wall painting decoration.2 This number of eighty comprises

sites with in-situ evidence, ex-situ archaeological remains (Fig 5) and early

accounts of buildings which make reference to the existence of wall

of moulded elements; in window embrasures and under arches or

behind over-lying lime-wash or plaster layers. False ashlar masonry pat

tern (lines painted to suggest the joints in an ashlar wall) has been found

at a number of sites including Kells Priory, Co Kilkenny; Dunbrody

Abbey; Co Wexford and in the twin-arched piscina and ambry at Fore

Abbey, Co Meath. Geometrical and floral designs are also common (Fig

8). Incised decoration, often denuded of its original colour can survive

in more exposed locations but this element of wall painting decoration

can be very difficult to detect except under ideal lighting conditions.

Incised consecration crosses have been identified at a number of sites

painting at them. However, very

often we have to look closely at

our medieval buildings to find

this trace evidence. Many of these

buildings have been ruins for

long periods of their history and

therefore the paint only survives

in areas that have afforded some

measure of protection against the

elements, for example under

vaulted ceilings; in and around

tomb surrounds; the under-cuts

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1 Clare Island Abbey - Phase Two - Overview of

the wall paintings on the vault. ? Con Brogan, Photographic Unit. DoELG.

2 Clare Island Abbey - Phase One wall paintings;

Gaelic lord on horseback. ? Con Brogan, Photographic Unit, DoELG.

96 IRISH ARTS REVIEW I SPRING 2010



SPRING 2010 I IRISH ARTS REVIEW 97



3

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(Fig 11), drawings of boats are to be seen in ^^^^kSSP^H Moyne Abbey, Co Mayo, together with an incised fig- ^? ? || ure and in Court Abbey, Co Sligo together with a number

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^ of painted images; incised architectural drawings are also ^fiS&S known from a number of sites. 5

Regrettably, there are a number of wall paintings, or parts

IT IS REMARKABLE THAT MANY OF OUR BETTER PRESERVED FIGURATIVE WALL PAINTINGS ARE FOUND WEST OF THE SHANNON

thereof, that have deteriorated and are known only from earlier

accounts. We are indebted to scholars and early antiquarians3 who iden

tified, described and often illustrated wall paintings from the late 18th

century onwards. Without these accounts, our knowledge of wall paint

ing decoration would be even further diminished.

The majority of wall paintings are found today in church architecture -

cathedrals, parish churches as well as those of the main religious

orders. Among the nine paintings in castles, four are known from tower

houses4 (Fig 6). Our understanding of medieval wall painting in Ireland

is largely derived from little more than a handful of buildings where

there is relatively good survival.5

The Rock of Cashel is rich in wall painting imagery. Recent conserva

tion work in Cashel Cathedral has uncovered and stabilized a large area

of painting of probable 15th-century date, located between the two

transept chapels in the south transept.6 In the lower register is the

Crucifixion with attendant figures including Saints Peter and Paul set

above is an ecclesiast shown wearing an elaborate coronet, as well as a

mitre (possibly depicting the King Bishop Cormac) and holding a

model of a church (Fig 3). Tucked into a corner of the cathedral is the earlier Cormac's Chapel

(consecrated 1134) with its Romanesque painting scheme depicting

scenes from the Infancy of Christ, including the Magi before Herod.7 They

have their closest parallels in some Romanesque examples in England.8

In contrast, the paintings in Abbeyknockmoy and Clare Island Abbey

and indeed at many other sites, demonstrate something entirely different.

It is remarkable that many of our better preserved figurative wall paint

ings are found West of the Shannon or in buildings that remained in the

hands of the Gaelic Irish or Gaelicised descendents of the Anglo-Normans.

The extensive paintings in Ardamullivan Casde (held by a cadet branch of

the O'Shaughnessy dynasty) depict scenes from the Passion of Christ

together with images of St Michael Weighing the Souls, St Christopher and the Christ Child and an ecclesiast, probably Bishop Colman,9 while

those in Ballyportry Casde (held by the Gaelic O'Brien family) depict the

against a trellis-patterned background (Fig 4). In the recessed niche

Martyrdom of St Sebastian and St Thomas Beckett among

other imagery (Fig 6). The paintings in Holycross

surrounded by and embellished with a comprehensive

Abbey, CoTipperary (a Gaelic-controlled monastery in

an Anglo-Norman dominated area) are of a stag

hunting scene which straddles the north and west

wall of the north transept.10

wall as that of Malachy O'Kelly (d. 1401) and his

wife Finnuola 'Conor (d. 1403). This tomb was

Abbeyknockmoy was a Cistercian house

founded in 1190 by Cathal Crovederg 'Conor.

A carved stone inscription written in Irish iden

tified the mural tomb in the chancel's north

scheme of pamtings, although today only a fraction of the original sur

vives. The western bay of the north wall was originally painted with the

Crucifixion among other scenes - now totally perished.11 In the eastern bay

the common morality tale of The Three Uving and The Three Dead Kings is depicted in the upper register while the Martyrdom of St Sebastian and

a fragmentary image of the Trinity are depicted below (Fig 7). Two further

inscriptions, this time painted in black Latin lettering, one beneath the

Three Dead Kings ?

identifies the subject of this scene as the warning spec

tres address to the kings12 and the second beneath St Sebastian provides the

names of two Irish men ? perhaps the artists of the painting.13

3 & 6 Cashel Cathedral. Co Tipperary - The painting

of the Crucifixion with attendant figures including SS Peter and Paul and in the niche above an ecclesiast holding a model of a church. ? Con Brogan, Photographic Unit, Dept. Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DoELG)

5 Keils Priory, Co Kilkenny - Fragment of

painted plaster with details of a face painted with red pigment

6 Ballyportry Castle. Co Clare - Detail of the head of St Thomas Beckett





It is perhaps surprising to find not one but two painting schemes in

Clare Island Abbey.14 Both these painting schemes surround and embel

lish the founder's tomb (probably that of the O'Malley lord) in the

north wall of the chancel.15 The Phase One paintings depict a stag-hunt

with a mounted Gaelic lord and a hound in pursuit of a stag (Fig 2). The Phase Two painting covers the vault with a range of images: animals

(both real and fabulous) and human figures placed in the spaces

between painted ribs (Fig 1). The Crucifixion was painted on the back

wall of the tomb niche.

Painted decoration could be applied on a thin lime wash layer direcdy

on to a carved stone feature but more often wall paintings comprise two

or more plaster layers. W?ll paintings in Ireland employed lime rather than

gypsum plasters and used a traditional mix of one part lime to two or

three parts of sand. The first plaster layer was a thick application, of coarse

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IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF IRISH WALL PAINTINGS, THE PIGMENTS WERE PAINTED ONTO A LIME-WASH LAYER IMMEDIATELY OVERLYING THE FINAL PLASTER LAYER

consistency, used to even out undulations in the support wall. The second

plaster application contained smaller and fewer inclusions. This fine layer

provided a smooth surface on which to paint. Frescoes are paintings

where the pigments are applied to wet (fresh) plaster and in the process

of hardening the lime and the pigments become chemically bonded. In

the vast majority of Irish wall paintings, the pigments were painted on to

a lime-wash layer immediately overlying the final plaster layer.16

However, long before applying colour, the details of a proposed paint

ing scheme were no doubt discussed in depth between the patron, artist

and perhaps even the plasterer. Once the design concept was approved

by the patron it would have been transferred to the wall by means of a

scaled up drawing, cartoon or with the use of stencils or other devices.

Depending on the location of the painting, scaffolding might have

been required to reach higher areas of wall. Irish wall paintings demon

strate that the intended design was generally mapped out with incised

lines using the sharp point of a brush handle, knife or similar implement into the still damp plaster. In this way the general spacing, design and

scale of the imagery could be worked out and in the

event of a change of mind the plaster would be floated

and the lines corrected. A rule or baton was used to

layout the guidelines for bands of inscription, ashlar

masonry blocks and on the vault of Clare Island Abbey

to mark out the line of the painted ribs; while com

pass holes have been identified at a number of sites in

particular for marking out the design of consecration

crosses or roof bosses and elements of architectural

drawings. Any such incised lines became fixed once

the plaster was dry and today these lines are some

times the only indicators of the one time presence of

a painting - the colour having long since perished.

It is always of great interest to consider what colours

were used in medieval wall painting. If we look in

detail at the full spectrum of buildings with wall paint

ing we can see that the palette was in fact very limited.

In addition to lime white and bone or charcoal black,

commonly-available mineral earths such as red, yellow

and sometimes brown ochres have been visually iden

tified. On occasion, as with the Ardamullivan and

Ballyportry Casde paintings, the palette was expanded

with the addition of white or black or the mixing and

over-layering of colours (Fig 6). In the majority of cases black and sometimes red is used to outline the

elements of the painting - whether figurative or deco

rative. However, very often not even the full range of

readily available ochres were used; so on the Phase One paintings in Clare

Island Abbey only red with black outlining and detailing are used against the lime white background, while the extant paintings at Abbeyknockmoy

(Fig 7) used yellow and possibly brown ochre outlined in black but there

is no evidence for the use of red ochre. Pigment analysis has been carried

out as part of the conservation programmes at a number of sites. Indeed,

there was some evidence to suggest that malachite green (basic carbonate

of copper - CuCo3.Cu(OH)2) was present in the robes of one of the liv

ing kings at Abbeyknockmoy.17

On occasion the artists used rare, costly and sometimes imported

pigments. Indeed, certain pigments such as vermillion (red), ultrama

rine (blue) and lead white are not compatible with lime, and these

could be applied onto dry plaster or indeed a dried lime-wash layer (a

secco) using an organic binding medium. Vermilion or cinnabar (mer

curic sulphide - HgS), used to highlight facial details, was identified by

analysis at Ardamullivan Castle.18 The paintings at Cormac's Chapel

demonstrate the most extensive range of pigments found in Ireland to

date and these paintings are fresco with secco additions.19 Here gold leaf,

ultramarine blue (derived from lapis lazuli), vermillion, terra verte

(green earth) and red and white lead colours were used in addition to

the more normal pigment range.

We know few of the details of pigment extraction and preparation.

However, in general terms pigments were extracted from their ore or

source, ground and prepared and then mixed with the chosen medium.

7 Abbeyknockmoy, Co Galway: overview of the north wall of the chancel with paintings of The Three Living and The Three Dead Kings on the upper register and The Martyrdom of St Sebastian and the now fragmentary image of The Trinity. ? Con Brogan, Photographic Unit, DoELG

8 Muckross Friary, Co Kerry - Floral and

other motifs, some produced with stencils on the protected underside of the arches of the two transept altar niches

9 Jerpoint Abbey, Co Tipperary

- Detail of one of the coats of arms showing the outline of a boar scribed into the plaster as well as brushstrokes in the lime-wash layer and the application of red colouring to the body of the animal

10 Ballyportry Castle, Co Clare - Detail of the feet of St Sebastian

11 Churchtown, Tagoat, Co Wexford - North wall - easternmost cross - concentric circles and the arms of a cross were scribed into the plaster before it had fully dried





There is evidence for the application of a lime-wash layer on top of the

finer plaster application at a number of sites and in some cases distinct

brush stroke impressions can be seen in this layer (Fig 9) .The pigment was

then applied in lime water (a clear solution that setdes out on top of slaked

lime), casein or other organic medium as required. There is some visual

evidence to suggest the use of oil as a medium at Ballyportry Casde (Fig 6) but this has yet to be confirmed by analysis.

Sadly, we do not have a clear picture of the accoutrements or tools of

the medieval painter. However, this may be more a factor of identifica

tion than anything else. Certainly, a range of brushes would have been

used (Figs 5&9); shells could have been used as a palette for mixing pig ments, while other points, vessels etc are hard to specifically identify as

painting tools. Certainly, there is evidence for the use of stencils in a pair

of altar niches at Muckross Friary, Co Kerry - where there are three dis

tinct (two floral, one linear) repeating motifs used (Fig 8). It is also difficult to establish the identity of the artists of these paintings

with any degree of certainty. While it is entirely possible that the monks

and friars were responsible for some of the painting ?

for example those

in the dormitories of Askeaton and Muckross Friaries, it is equally possible

that artists or journeymen were engaged to undertake specific commis

sions. The paintings in Abbeyknockmoy (early 15 th century) are much

later in date than the building itself - and were painted in a period when

the Cistercian Rule had considerably relaxed and the benefactions of secu

lar patrons, on this occasion the O'Kelly, changed the nature of church dec

oration. In such instances it is more likely that the patron commissioned

the artists. The Phase Two paintings in Clare Island Abbey display a diverse

range of subject -

many of the scenes have parallels in European painting.

Equally, some motifs, for example a hound chasing a hare are very Irish in

detail and are reminiscent of earlier Irish manuscripts. Either way, the artists

or journeymen, whether returned Irish men or visiting artists were famil

iar with a wide ranging European iconography.

Recent fieldwork therefore, has shown that there is far more evidence

for medieval wall painting than previously recognised. It suggests that,

like elsewhere, the vast majority of our medieval churches and indeed

some rooms in secular buildings, in particular casdes were embellished

with this art form. The relative dearth of surviving wall paintings today in

9 11

comparison to England and continental Europe is due to the post

medieval desertion and even destruction of many of these buildings.

However, the better preserved of the surviving examples demonstrate that

the wall painting tradition in Ireland during the medieval period was

rich, colourful and varied.

Acknowledgements: I am indebted to Con Brogan and Tony Roche, Photographic Unit,

Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and to Senior

Conservation Architects Aighleann O'Shaughnessy and Paul McMahon, the Office of Public Works for kind permission to reproduce some of the illustrations in these pages and to Siobhan Cuffe for permission to reproduce images of the Ballyportry Castle

paintings. I am also indebted to the many conservators who have worked to stabilize and uncover Irish medieval wall paintings. In particular, I thank Madeleine Katkov,

Christoph Oldenbourg, Barbara Beckett, David and Mark Perry and Richard Lithgow.

For information on opening times for heritage sites visit www.opw.ie.

Karena Morton is an Objects Conservator in the National Museum of Ireland, Country Life, Turlough Park House, Co Mayo.

1 Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland 1171-1251, Vol. i, No.

2 K. Morton. 'Later Medieval Irish Wall Painting 1100 1600AD.' Ph.D thesis - School of Architecture,

Landscape and Civil Engineering 2007. 3 Such as W. Wilde; TJ. Westropp; G. Petrie; G. V. Du

Noyer; F. Grose; H. S. Crawford; R. Cochrane and R.A. Macalister among others.

h Ardamullivan Castle, Co. Galway; Urlanmore Castle,

(collapsed since 1999) and Ballyportry Castle Co. Clare and a more fragmentary scheme from Barryscourt Castle, Co. Cork.

5 Many of these sites have been the focus of conserva tion programmes.

6 The conservation programme has been carried out by the Perry-Lithgow partnership for the Office of Public

Works. I am grateful to senior conservation architect,

Aighleann O'Shaughnessy for affording me early opportunity of seeing these painting during the course

of the conservation programme. 7 R. Stalley. 'Solving a mystery at Cashel, The

Romanesque Paintings in Cormac's Chapel' in Irish Arts Review Yearbook 2002, Vol. 18, (2001), pp. 25-29.

8 Ibid, pp. 26 & 29. 9 Morton, 'Medieval Wall Paintings at Ardamullivan' in

Irish Arts Review Yearbook 2002, Vol. 18, (2001),

pp.104-13. 10 A second area of painting in the transept depicts a dec

orative design which resembles twisted scroll-work 11 See William Lesson's illustrations in E. Ledwich.

Antiquities of Ireland, (2nd Edn.), (1804), p.520, pis. xxxvii & xxxviii.

12 FUIMUS UT ESTIS VOS ERITUS UT SUMUS NOS (we have been as you are, you shall be as we are). See H. S. Crawford. 'Mural paintings and inscriptions at

Knockmoy Abbey', JRSAI, 49, (1919). pp. 28-29. 13 ORA PRO ANIMANUS MALACHIE I NOLLAIN ET

CONCHUBHUIR HI EDDICHAN QUI FIERI FECET

(Pray for the souls of Malachie 0' Nollan and Conaire O'Eddichan who caused me to be made). See. Crawford. 'Mural paintings and inscriptions', pp. 27-8.

U K. Morton & C. Oldenbourg. 'Catalogue of the Wall

Paintings' New Survey of Clare Island: Vol. 4: The

Abbey, RIA (2005), p. 01-95 and K. Morton.

'Iconography and Dating of the Wall Paintings' ibid. pp. 97-121.

15 Con Manning has identified a Dermot O'Malley who won the chieftainship in U15 and postulates that he

together with his wife Maeve O'Conor may have been the founders of this abbey and by extention that they

were interred in the mural tomb. C. Manning. 'History, Survey and Analysis of the Building' ibid, p. 10.

16 The fragments of Romanesque painting from Lismore

Cathedral, Co. Waterford might also have employed the fresco technique. See T. O'Keeffe. 'Lismore and

Cashel; Reflections on the beginnings of Romanesque architecture in Munster' JRSAI 124 (1994), 126-7.

17 M. Katkov and C. Oldenbourg, pers. comm. 18 Morton. 'Medieval Wall Paintings at Ardamullivan," p.

107. 19 H. Howard, 1991. Cormacs Chapel, Cashel: Analysis

of paint samples, (1991 Unpublished Typescript report fortheOPW).

SPRING 2010 I IRISH ARTS REVIEW 101

