Finally we are released from the press embargo and can formally introduce one of our major tapestry conservation projects for this year – the conservation of the Royal Museums Greenwich Battle of Solebay tapestry. The tapestry will be part of an exhibition ‘The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea’, due to launch in …
A month in the life of Zenzie Tinker Conservation (with intern Catherine Harris)
Unable to complete an in-person placement as planned in the summer of 2020 as part of the Textile Conservation programme at the University of Glasgow, I was fortunate to instead complete a virtual placement with Zenzie Tinker Conservation (ZTC). ZTC Ltd assigned me a research project; to produce a testable method of using clay poultices …
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Worth it in the End
Conservation of a Pale Green House of Worth Ballgown (Part 2) Having focused mainly on the skirt conservation in my previous Conservation Story about this gown, I would like to turn now to the bodice. While similarly dishevelled in state to the skirt, its return to splendour posed a completely different set of conservation conundrums. …
2020 Roundup
My first Instagram post of the year, 2nd January 2020 showed a photo of a clean, tidy, empty studio and said, “Happy New Year and new decade to all our followers. It feels like the lull before the storm – we look forward to sharing some of it with you this year”. Of course at …
Corporate conservation in the city at Bloomberg
In 2018, the year after Bloomberg London opened, ZTC was asked to set up a programme of condition checking, surface cleaning and ongoing collections care advice for the contemporary textile artworks commissioned for and permanently installed in the building. Our survey work has mainly focused on two large scale works – the vast tripart industrial …
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Family heirlooms
At ZTC we give your precious personal collections and family heirlooms as much care and attention as museum objects. Cleaning and repairing family items such as christening robes, samplers, wedding gowns and vintage costume as well as providing suitable storage and display will help ensure their longevity for future generations of your family to enjoy. …
Bateman’s curtains
Two incredibly fragile early 20th Century Indian phulkari embroidered cotton curtains from Rudyard Kipling’s study at National Trust property Bateman’s were recently conserved at our studio. It is fascinating to think that Kipling wrote many of his most famous works in this study with his beautiful Sussex countryside view framed by these curtains. The curtains …
Arundel embroidered casket
I remember noticing the exquisite 17th Century casket on my first walk through the castle. It was hidden away in the library, a beautiful suite of 19th C reading rooms furnished in crimson plush, polished wood and overflowing with the most amazing treasures of every type. The casket was squashed into a teeny tiny display …
Mounting two Beatrices
A new display at Smallhythe House, Ellen Terry’s Tudor cottage now in the care of the National Trust, opened just before the whole world stopped because of the pandemic. Even though it has not been possible for visitors to see the new season’s display yet we we would like to share some of our insights …
Disaster response
Over the years we have had to answer several disaster calls most often involving water or pest outbreak. Sometimes the disaster is so big that the emergency services are the only ones allowed on the scene (The Clandon Park fire for example) and we have become involved after the event. Read more about our involvement …