The history and nature of artificial stone for use in architecture is a subject still shrouded in myth and misconception. This book aims to lay bare those misconceptions and present a scientific and architectural account of these materials, and especially Coade Stone, the most successful of all, which found great favour during the Georgian period. Many examples of Coade Stone cast sculpture still exist and several key examples are presented in context and as case studies . Eleanor Coade's artificial stone was so good that many observers could not distinguish it from the natural stone it replaced: the growth in replication of the neo-classical statuary and building adornment required in the late Georgian and Regency period was well satisfied by the use of Coade stone. A holistic evaluation of Coade stone artefacts is undertaken whereby the use of analytical data, historical documentation, invoices, company records, impressed marks and expert connoisseurship will establishthe attribution of Coade stone artefacts, some of which are currently in the unknown category. Several new scientific analyses are presented that demonstrate the true nature of high temperature fired ceramic Coade Stone and allow comparison with other forms of artificial stone, such as the cold cured cementitious variations, which eventually replaced it in the Victorian period.

Provides a modern, technical, and up-to-date analytical study of Coade stone and other historic artificial stones Fills a gap for conservators and architectural historians working in this field Appeals to all those interested in historic architecture

Autorentext

Howell Edwards, born in Skewen, Neath, South Wales, is Professor Emeritus of Molecular Spectroscopy at the University of Bradford. He read Chemistry at Jesus College in the University of Oxford and after completing his B.A. and B.Sc. degrees he studied for his doctorate in Raman spectroscopy at Oxford with Dr Leonard Woodward and then became a Research Fellow at Jesus College, University of Cambridge. He joined the University of Bradford as a Lecturer in Structural and Inorganic Chemistry, becoming Head of the Department of Chemical and Forensic Sciences, and was awarded a Personal Chair in Molecular Spectroscopy in 1996. He has received several international awards (Sir Harold Thompson Award; Charles Mann Award; Emanuel Boricky Medal; Norman Sheppard Award) in a spectroscopic career which has resulted in the publication of almost 1400 research papers and articles in Raman spectroscopy and the characterisation of materials, along with six books on the application of this analytical technique to art, archaeology and forensic science. He has had a lifelong interest in the porcelains of William Billingsley, especially those from the Derby, Nantgarw and Swansea factories. He has authored seven major books on Nantgarw and Swansea Porcelains: Swansea and Nantgarw Porcelains: A Scientific Reappraisal, Nantgarw and Swansea Porcelains: An Analytical Perspective , Porcelain to Silica Bricks: The Extreme Ceramics of William Weston Young, 1776-1847, 18th and 19th Century Porcelain Analysis: A Forensic Provenancing Assessment , Porcelain Analysis and Its Role in the Forensic Provenancing of Ceramic Specimens, Welsh Armorial Porcelains : Nantgarw and Swansea Crested China and The Farnley Hall Service : A Unique Survivor in Nantgarw Porcelain , all published by Springer-Nature Publishing , Dordrecht, The Netherlands. He has also produced several monographs on these manufactories and people associated with them: William Billingsley- The Enigmatic Porcelain Artist, Decorator and Manufacturer; Nantgarw Porcelain - The Pursuit of Perfection; Swansea Porcelain - the Duck-Egg Translucent Vision of Lewis Dillwyn and Derby Porcelain: The Golden Years,1780-1830. He has also published in 2022 a book entitled Raman Spectroscopy in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (with Philippe Colomban and Peter Vandenabeele), for which porcelain artefacts feature as artworks and a vital part of a nation's cultural heritage, as does the industrial archaeology, excavation and the preservation of early porcelain manufactory sites, many of which have now sadly disappeared in urban expansion. His latest book on a prestigious Derby porcelain service is The Pendock-Barry Service: A Forensic Reappraisal (with Rachel Denyer and Morgan Denyer). He is currently preparing three books on Blue by Fire: Pigments in Glass, Enamels and on Ceramics from Antiquity to the 21st Century (with Philippe Colomban and William Jay), Coade Stone: A History and Analysis (with Christopher Brooke) and Armorial Porcelain: The Genesis (with Rachel Denyer and Morgan Denyer) which will be published in 2023/4. Howell Edwards is Honorary Scientific Adviser to the de Brecy Trust on the scientific evaluation of their artworks and paintings.

Inhalt

Chapter 1.Coade Artificial Stone and Its Marks.- Chapter 2.Factors That Influenced the Success of Coade Stone.- Chapter 3.The Precursors Contemporaries and Later Variations of Coade Stone.- Chapter 4.Historical Myths and Anomalies Associated with Coade Stone.- Chapter 5.The Mineralogy of Fired Ceramics.- Chapter 6.The Analysis of Coade Stone Artefacts.- Chapter 7.Case Studies.- Chapter 8.Conclusions.