medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
So the crucial question is then whether the fake ashlar was painted over
the actual join lines or over the stone - ??
(My student is orthographically challenged because my father taught him
Biology but someone else taught him English - but he builds very nice
dry stone walls)
Maddy
Dr Madeleine Gray, in the foothills of God's golden county of Gwent
Senior Lecturer in History
School of Education/Ysgol Addysg
University of Wales, Newport/Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd
Caerleon Campus/Campws Caerllion, PO /Blwch Post 179
Newport/Casnewydd NP18 3YG, Wales/Cymru
Tel: +44 (0)1633.432675
'I ask you for help. And all you give me is ...papers!'
(Magda in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul)
History at University of Wales, Newport: http://timezone.newport.ac.uk
Gwent County History Association website:
http://gwent-county-history-association.newport.ac.uk
Cistercian Way: http://cistercian-way.newport.ac.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Christopher Crockett
Sent: 09 January 2008 15:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] painted stone (again!)
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
From: Madeleine Gray <[log in to unmask]>
> The latest from Stonewall Stuart:
>>The issue of washing limestone is not one of the stone per -say, it is
the
protection of the jointing between the stones and the mortar. During
building
the mortar is cut back and later 'dubbed-out' that is to say 'pointed'
to a
flush face to allow a thick wash. If you look at some old wash you will
see
how thick it is. The jointing needed to be protected to stop ingress of
moisture both into the stone and the mortar primarily because
co-efficient of
expansion (and contraction) over time wold lead to problems even though
lime-mortar is more 'elastic' than current portland cement (which is of
course
why cement is such a disaster when used either to build stone-work or,
more
catastrophically, to point it). I suspect from my observations over the
years
that the application of a strong 'wash' - which was often more akin to a
'plaster' - allowed the actual mortar to be mixed less strongly which,
whilst
not too problematic for walls where the actual strength is in the
placing of
the stones, and definately cheaper given that not all areas had
limestone on
the doorstep, did not produce a totally waterproof membrane.'
it sounds like, among other things, that we have here a practicle reason
for
the painting of Faux Masonry --if a "wash" was necessary to "seal" the
joints
against "moisture," then painting those joints back in place would be a
logical thing to do (assuming that one's sensibility required seeing the
jointery). [*there*, btw, is a proper use of that word.]
at Chartres, the "wash" (which i've always thought of as a plaster
coating) is
most evident these daze in the columns of the side aisle of the
ambulatory
http://www.davidjamie.com/2004/images/france/IMG_2243.jpg
[i'm speaking of the round column and its fellows --unfortunately too
dark to
see clearly in this shot]
here's one of the columns i'm thinking of, but in too small a shot to be
of
much use
http://editor-writer.com/bcom/images/column.gif
however, the plaster is not nearly so evident in the piers and wall
surfaces
of this area of the building, however:
http://www.mountainbike.org/media/2007_france/chartres_interior.jpg
and this raises a squirrelishy question which you, Maddy, might put to
your
orthographically-challenged chipmunk:
if, indeed,
"The jointing needed to be protected to stop ingress of moisture both
into the
stone and the mortar primarily because co-efficient of expansion (and
contraction) over time wold lead to problems..."
so, howscome this "wash" is not visible in the interior of most all
middlevil
buildings --here, for example, is the choir of St. Denis
http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/01430/01430f.jpg
which is rather typical, i think.
and why is it *never* visible on the exterior of those buildings??
is there less moisture to ingress into joints and stones now than there
was
when they were built?
> 'I ask you for help. And all you give me is ...papers!'
> (Magda in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul)
yes.
always a problem.
c
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