Conservation: The Wolsey Angels
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Diana Heath, Senior Metals Conservator at the V&A, describes the challenges of treating the Wolsey Angels - rare examples of copper figures created for the English Tudor court at the height of the Renaissance, between 1524 and 1529. The Angels were made by the Italian sculptor, Benedetto da Rovezzano (1474-1554), to adorn a magnificent tomb commissioned by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. After the English Civil War, the Angels disappeared, and were only recently rediscovered, having stood unrecognised on the gateposts of a stately home in Northamptonshire, perhaps for centuries.
Not originally intended for outdoor exposure, their surfaces altered radically over time. The separation of each pair of Angels accounts for their difference in appearance, together with the loss of their wings. Extensive conservation work at the V&A has now enlivened the appearance of the Angels and ensured their future preservation.
The Wolsey Angels were purchased with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund, a gift in memory of Melvin R. Seiden, the Friends of the V&A, the Ruddock Foundation for the Arts, the American Friends of the V&A, and many other generous donors thanks to a major public appeal in 2014.
Find out more: www.vam.ac.uk/...
Such a shame they lost their wings they were beautiful
@La Onda and recorded using slow-mo cameras
666 likes for the loss of wings ;)
La Onda I don’t get it.
“The use of thick, colored waxes, which were INAPPROPRIATE.” The shade!
Derek Martz whoever she threw the shade at probably disliked this video
conservators seem to throw the best shade at past conservators
I see you have not yet discovered Baumgartner....
@@Romanticoutlaw we do
I would have kept those angels inside. 👼 I will admit this. That angel looked good on that fence. 👼💛
My alarm sounds exactly like the background music, So i went through the five stages of grief as soon as the video started
I feel this so hard.
Lets hope one day their wings return
More than likely melted down
Every time a bell rings....
DON'T BLINK!
lol my first thought when i saw the thumbnail
The Angels take Manhattan.
Best response I've ever read!
Profezor Snayp I came here to post this exact comment but you beat me to it
I don't understand the "Don't Blink!" comments. Could someone please help me get in the loop too?
There are few things I love more than hearing about how inappropriate the previous work was.
It’s surreal to see a picture of one angel guarding an old gate (the location I’m not sure of), because it shows that someday far into the future, something that you’d see everyday would be broken or fractured sitting in a museum, full of people who can only imagine where it must’ve been.
It’s sad to me that they lost their wings. What gorgeous pieces of history
I've been binge watching all of this channel's conservation videos and the finished product always makes me want to cry. You guys are doing wonders
Wonderful! Always fascinated by conservation procedures.
It' wonderful what you can find on UA-cam . I could stay on here all day !
How and why were their wings taken? Why are there crosses in their backs? Was this a design of the artist to make their wings removable? I really want to know more about old art like this
Danielle Barks they don’t know why. But it’s likely that structural issue meant they fell off and weren’t able to be reattached. The crosses are just there the old wings use to insert.
Someone stole them.
Big bronze sculptures like these were cast in multiple pieces that were then joined together. The crosses in their backs had corresponding "plugs" in the wings to fit them snugly together. For more info, Google "bronze sculpture in the Renaissance" and you will find a number of essays on the matter.
what happened to their wings please let me know
"Within the last 40 years they were somehow stripped of their wings, which remain lost." That's all I could find on it. Look up the article "The divine miracle of Wolsey’s lost angels".
Considering your butchery of the English language, you could not have chosen a more appropriate screen name.
xjAlbert, You said "Considering your butchery of the English language, you could not have chosen a more appropriate screen name." Don't you have better things to do than criticize someone's UA-cam comment? It's not even bad, "what happened to their wings please let me know" is just missing punctuation (something many comments, texts, etc. are lacking because of their informality).
TrilobiteTerror I think they were just making a joke considering his username is “The Butchery” lol.
woah, Then it's not even a good joke since their comment was just missing punctuation.
the fact that all the angels lost their wings is sadly poetic somehow. stuck on earth, no going home
Please tell Diana she is amazing and thank her for her work!
This video is so aesthetically pleasing.
This is beautiful, thank you so much for sharing and taking care of them
...am i the only one who actually likes the music..?
Same, I really want to know the name of the piece
It's "Soundtrack for a Movie that Doesn't Exist" by Johnny Ripper. I think it's the opening track. It's free to listen to on bandcamp!
I also like it lmao I was suprised seeing the comments on the music
Yes
That's a weeping Angel and you know it.
Honestly
well, they seem quite grateful for the cleaning at least.
Hey, I’d be weeping too, if someone stole my wings.
I hope you didn't blink.
That must be so satisfying to clean them to their original state
They didn't clean them to their original state. It would just damage them to do so.
The music gave me a free lobotomy
i love it when people in these sort of videos say something along the lines off the coating from previous work was removed because it was inappropriate..
Like they are 100% confident noone in 100 years time is going to say the same about what they did to it. lol
no9scrum - I have to add as a reply, that conservators are fully aware that new and better materials will most probably be available in the future. So they use substances that are developed for easiest removal and replacement but advanced to do the best job with current knowledge.
@@TheHardlove4u Then why not use the age old time proven solution? Salt, vinegar + baking soda. It would have done a much better job and no one would complain. sometimes conservators are too conservative and don't get the job done.
@@isawondfl1 Those three substances would be horribly damaging to the surface: vinegar is acidic, salt and sodium bicarbonate are abrasive. I imagine the materials they do use are kinder to the surface.
Great to see other passionate conservators in action!
It's a small and short video but kudos to whomever shot and edited this because it showed simple quality.
I thought it said "Controversial: The Wolsey Angels" and I was ready for some fucked up backgrounds on them 😂
My eyes are starting to hurt from trying not to blink while watching this video.
While I can appreciate the conservation works, I can never look at an angel statue the way I used to after watching Doctor Who...
How can they be “Supreme examples of English renaissance sculpture”? They were created by an Italian.
@@pdmacguire and therefore they are GREEK sculptures, not English you moron XD
As a Whovian, this video made me feel very uncomfortable
What is "Whovian"
@@kanal2123a they're just doctor who fans!!
@@ritalopes7344 Doctor who? Are people restoring art called doctors haha?
I know right?! Especially at 2:32, it freaked me out looking at that screen and with the angel moving on their own!
Stenky no, doctor who is a BBC show that has characters of angel statues lookalikes that can only move when you’re not looking at them and are a highly dangerous predatory species. Though I suppose you could call art restorers doctors as they fix and patch them up
The music was horrible and far too loud. But the narrative and video were fascinating.
Great restoration information. What a fascinating video!
A wonderful conservation, such effort and care is inspiring. In future videos could the soundtrack be altered slightly? The sharp piano soundtrack was way too high in the sound mix and grates at tue ear, also it reminded me if The Omen.
Fantastic work and fantastic video!
Well done, conservation of history is so much more important that people give credit to.
this is amazing, thank you for sharing this process.
Such beauty brings tears to my eyes.
Can't clearly hear the comentry, due to the annoying overly loud background music! 😣
Mindygrace
I love this! The music was a little bit awful tho imo
They have been in the open air for some time - BUT WHERE WERE THEY ?????
All I can think about when I see angels now are Dr. Who.
Please UP the volume on the background music --- can you set the amplifier to 11? --- so that, then, NONE of the words of the narrator will be able to be understood. Thank you.
Don't Blink....Whatever you do.... DON'T BLINK!!
Would love to see a show inspired by these Angels and their reunion
Thank you, very interesting and informative.
Lost their wings, huh? That means they've spent a good amount of time on earth. Wonder if they know Castiel...
Beautiful job!
Can they not re-cast the wings based on old photographs? I think an angel without it's wings isn't really an angel.
scot60 there are no old photographs. The angels were sold during the English civil war in 1645. Since then their journey is a bit of a mystery. They were presumed lost and likely destroyed when they suddenly turned up already wingless on the fence posts of a golf club (I could only find an oblique reference that suggests the golf club acquired them some time the 1980s)
@@adbreon But there were pictures of them with wings ( 2 of them that were together )
I think it would disrespect the real artist. If they lost their wings, it is considered a part of the journey. They could make a prototype but attaching it to the original artwork would be inappropriate because it "alters" the original art. Besides, how many photographs there is? I believe it won't be enough to act as a reference for 100% identical wings.. that's my hypothetic though
They look really ugly imo. Why do people care so much about these angels?
@@DarkAngelEU I really don't know where to start to fix that idiotic thing you just said. They are nearly 5 century old and is a part of england legacy.
If I knew any better, I'd say "Don't turn your back on them. And don't blink."
I'm curious why the written description has the sculptures being made by Benedetto da Rovezzano of Florence, but the curator says at 3:12 that they are "...supreme examples of English Renaissance sculpture". Perhaps she meant to say "early" Renaissance sculpture?
So beautiful :)
Don’t Blink!
I like when her vocal chords rub together to make sounds....
0:54 creeped me tf out with that music and pic xD
Horrible background music. Why?
Wow.. it's so sad they couldn't give them wings again
Very nice 😃
Johnny ripper!! What a surprise to hear his work here!
The song is "opening credits" from his album "soundtrack for a film that doesnt exist"
I´ve always wondered...who the h*ll picks the background music for this kind of videos? It´s often not only distracting but also annoying :(
Nice video though.
Beautiful angels; unbearable music. I barely made it through. My skin was crawling by the end.
i think it would be beautiful to make paper wings for them
"Supreme Example of English Renaissance Sculpture"
Done by an Italian.
my new fave channel
beautifully done!
Are there plans to recast the wings and bring the angels back to their original glory?
Sad that they lost their wings, they really added to it. Really amazing sculptures!
What is the background music? Absolutely beautiful.
Well done! Just a thought here; would it be possible to superimpose images of the original wings? Some sort of intermittent projection of the wings would be nifty!
What were they supposed to be holding? I hope the wings resurface someday.
y'all betta not blink omg
Great information - while listening to three minutes of the same chime my refrigerator makes when the door is left open. Do-da-lee-do-da-lee-do-da-lee-do.
Thank god I didn’t saw these angels when I visited the museum, I’d be frightened
It would have been wonderful if, at least, they would have place the photo of the angel with wings 0:54 down at the sculpture's pedestal 3:13. It'd be great if they would have dare to reconstruct them...
Why are the angels facing the same way?What are they supposed to be looking at or facing?
Just don't BLINK!
I actually really dislike the sculptures themselves but I enjoyed the video nonetheless
They clearly have some photos of the wings...I wonder why they didn't attempt to recreate them....
Victoria and Albert... they invoke so much dislike. Together they were Edward II.
I actually blinked several times during th
i'd like to see the wings returned
just amazing to me
The brown ones look in better condition, is that not a better way to preserve them instead?
How are they English Renaissance statues if an Italian made them?
Probably the same way a cartoon can be American even if the animation studio is Korean.
Brilliant
Why on earth would you leave the patina when the sculptor made them in copper dat he polished!?
Song?
this isnt really a conservation though this is a restoration.
What is it they are holding in their hands?
I have recently seen the use of lasers to clean metals of corrosion and debris, (ie soot, paint, etc). Could the laser process be used to clean metal objects like this or would it harm them?
metals or marble did you saw? but in your question theoretically it could be happen without destroy them, laser is not one value, but use a range of the (electromagnetic) spectrum. Theoretically, it is very possible to there are values under the laser will be good for this job.
I realize that that objects that you work with a very precious and delicate. This example is in marble but does seem to survive the cleaning well and would perhaps be more thouroughly cleaned then the old process. Thank You for taking the time to answer my questions! ua-cam.com/video/TS3Cp1lpxpU/v-deo.html
I just wanna know how long this took
i would love to do this kind of work.
If the artist was Florentine, is it licit to call these sculptures examples of British sculpture? I mean, even just looking at them one can discern the style as Renaissance Italian...
Granted it was the British court that had financed these works, but having the money to buy a work of art does not make one an artist.
Nice work if you can get it!
Sounds like a phone ringing , cant listen
What are the angels holding in their hands? They look like stair balusters - why would an angel carry an architectural doodad meant to support a rail?
This might sound silly because it's just briefly googled so barely educated speculation on my part but they more than likely would have had something attached to the top of each, hence the pegs at the top. My first guess, considering whom they were part of the tomb of, is that the four were actually two pairs and had middle pieces that made arches, depending on where they were placed in relation to the sarcophagus. Arches are symbolized as a heavenly entrance in religious art, and have indeed been observed to be held or supported by angels. The other guess is that they might have had a different material for a torch at the top that was taken off. Pure speculation though, really can't find anything on the actual symbolism of them specifically.
David Strasburger I thought they looked like massive pepper grinders lol
Gotta be well seasoned to get past the heavenly gates!
They were to hold a candle on each corner of the tomb.
Don't blink while you're working on those . . .
cool video, the music is pretty annoying though
Don’t blink
Wow so they are 500 years old ?
Whats wrong with who ever set the music to this? The music is really repelling.
I clicked on this video because i knew there were going to be doctor who comments
don’t look away don’t turn your back and don’t blink