Postgraduate Diploma in the Conservation of Easel Paintings
Courtauld Institute of Art

I am in my final year of the Conservation of Easel Paintings course at the Courtauld Institute of Art. I have just completed my dissertation, which was a technical examination of 18 grotesque paintings on canvas in the Cartoon Gallery at Knole. We were able to date some of the paintings to early in the 17th century, while others were identified as belonging to the 18th century, due to stylistic differences and the presence of different pigments including Prussian blue in some works.

I am currently treating a modern painting by the South African artist Albert Adams, which had been very damaged in transport, and a Tudor portrait from 1579, which is part of a series of works of the same family.  Both paintings have given me the opportunity to develop my practical skills while investigating materials and technique.

Without the generosity of the Anna Plowden Trust, it would have been very difficult for me to complete the three-year course in London, and I am most grateful.

After graduating, Alexandra secured a Painting Conservation internship at the Watts Gallery