Conservation & Heritage Issue 49 October 2025 - Flipbook - Page 49
Conservation and
restor ation at The British
Embassy, Paris, Fr ance
In 2020, three long-hidden
and very badly damaged,
gilded and decorated ceilings
— adorned with 19th-century
masterpieces by artists such as
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
(1825–1905) — were discovered
on Rue du Faubourg SaintHonoré in Paris, France.
Over the next several years, a
multidisciplinary team of conservators,
artists, and gilders have painstakingly
restored both the original ceilings and
the artworks which they housed. At
last, in August 2025, the wonderfully
renewed surfaces and their paintings
were reunited within the original
historic architectural setting, marking
the triumphant completion of an
extraordinary project.
What follows is the story of that
remarkable journey.
After the Second World War, public
taste had shifted, and elaborate
architecture with richly decorated
embellishment was increasingly
regarded as outdated—mere relics of a
bygone era. As a result, such features
were frequently destroyed, damaged,
or, in this instance, concealed beneath
suspended ceilings, often causing
further harm in the process.
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