Saturday 17 May 2008

One just can't get the servants these days - # 08/106

Ham House is a "1,000 hours house". That means that the collection of tapestries, funiture, paintings and decorated wood floors is highly sensitive to degradation by UV rays and the entry of sunlight is controlled, and severely restricted. Consequently one is often treated to evocative glimpses and engaging patterns of light and shade that in my opinion, enhance the atmosphere and make it even more enjoyable.

Here, a conservation cleaner has slightly raised the special anti-UV blinds while she cleans one of the state rooms.

7 comments:

  1. I do like your shots in Ham House where a little light comes thru a window. How does anyone 'see' these tapestries etc? Perhaps they are not on public view?

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  2. You cannot possibly get any better than this in contrasts, color and even composition. You could have ruined this shot by cropping it too close on the right side (I assume you know that) but you got it just right. It is much like a Jan Vemeer or Rembrandt in composition, color, light and shadow.

    Thanks too for your visit to my blog and comments there about spring house cleaning and beating rugs, etc..

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  3. Do you all wear head torches when the blinds are not "slightly raised"?

    Nice photo - I might even have been tempted to do it in B+W ;)

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  4. Hang on - I missed the decorated wood floors. What is that? I wonder if there is such a thing as a "floral" - kind of horizontal mural. Bit of a bad design decision I would have thought, decorating floors

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  5. What a beautifully effective piece of work. I love it.

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  6. You are so good at these light/shade atmospheric shots - The Master!!!!

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  7. I'd like to throw a little tip the way of your conservation cleaners.
    It's rather technical - I hope they are up for it.
    This is what OUR museum staff do...
    http://tinyurl.com/6dyncy

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