CONTENTS
Page One:
- Introducing Susan M. Millis, Artist and Conservator
-- First the Discovery of Fire . . . Art
-- Art, History, and Conservation Intertwined
-- Inspiration from History
-- A Gallery Artist on a Quest
-- The 1990s and an Avant-Garde Inspiration
-- Formal Studies
-- Fading: The Problem Defined
-- Further Research at The Pinto Collection
Page Two:
- The Pinto Collection: Important 19th C. Pyrographic Artists
- Antique Works in Private Collections
-- 19th C. Artist Ralph Marshall
-- Robert Ball Hughes (1806-1868)
--- Studying an Unsigned Ball Hughes Work
--- More Works by Ball Hughes Emerge
---- Babylonian Lions
---- General Grant Proclaiming the Surrender of Richmond
---- The Last Lucifer Match
---- The Monk
- Final Notes
- References and Related Items of Interest
Page Three:
- Maria Luisa Grimani: "A Tree's Tale"
- From Sao Paulo, Adriano Colangelo Lectures on Art and Life
- Review of a New Book by Daniel Wright
- For Halloween: Tim Rahman's The Witch's Secret
The Pinto
Collection was the passionate project of Edward H. Pinto (1901-1972)
and his wife Eva, who together amassed some 6,000 objects according to
the source linked here, which provides a brief history and description
of the collection. The Birmingham
Museums & Art Gallery (BM&AG) in Birmingham, England, acquired the
collection in 1965. It was at BM&AG where Susan Millis studied with
such enthusiasm the pyrography wood panels of some of the best
pyrographic artists of the nineteenth century.
Susan describes the pyrography portion of the Pinto Collection as
"the one and only comprehensive collection of pictorial
panels in the world." The 19th century pictorial panels
number about twenty. There are a few additional pieces of decorated
objects, including a 20th century bowl done by Mrs. Margaret Child, the
wife of Peter Child, the original manufacturer of the Peter Child pyro
tool (the one Susan uses).
The pyrography collection includes some large panels of elaborate
scenes. There is one self portrait by Ralph Marshall. Susan has
provided notes on three of the artists whose works are in the Pinto
Collection. Her notes on two of them are immediately following; notes
on Ralph Marshall are in the next sub-section that is specifically about
him.
"Comte de Rottermund. There are four works of his in the
collection. To the naked eye they appear like the engravings from which
they were taken, incorporating closely packed lines of differing widths,
executed with extreme deftness and control. However, under slight
magnification it becomes clear just how the artist worked. He worked
with very hot tools and great speed, which can be confirmed by the depth
of the tooling marks. He was obviously a very confident, competent
artist and had a great deal of skill. Although this type of working has
more light resistance, the finer lines in the composition have been
significantly reduced and in minor areas are missing altogether.
I W Wells. There is a beautiful panel dated November 1, 1866, by
this artist in the collection, 'Waiting for the Plough'. This is an
example of pyrography, as we know it today, slightly highlighted with
the use of a small gouge. It has been badly affected by light but by
using a gouge the artist has preserved some of its character."
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The Pretty Ballad Singer |
Unfortunately, there is little known about the artist Ralph Marshall
who did the lovely work (above) between 1833 and 1834. Frank McMillen
acquired this piece in England more than forty years ago. He has been
careful to conserve it in the excellent condition in which he bought it,
and is currently planning to sell the piece.
Frank's pyrograph of The Pretty Ballad Singer is one of at
least three known works by Ralph Marshall that pertain to a dramatic
chiaroscuro Candlelight Series he did based on paintings
by British artist Henry Morland. Like the paintings that inspired them,
the pyrographic panels in that series depict figures in nighttime
scenes, in each case lit with a single light source like a candle or
lantern that is a central element of the composition.
According to Susan Millis, there are eight pyrographic works by Ralph
Marshall in the Pinto Collection at the BM&AG. Two of the eight are
unfinished works and two others in that collection--By
Candlelight and Woman and Boy--are the remaining
two in his Candlelight Series.
An image of Ralph Marshall's piece By Candlelight is
displayed on the BMAG web site along with a large and important
religious work by him called The Blinding of Elymas. To
view these, log on to www.bmag.org.uk, then click on
'collections' and type 'pyrography' into the keyword search box.
Susan recounts that in 2002, in her second visit doing research at the
Pinto Collection, she was privileged to examine the work of Ralph
Marshall under magnification. She observed that Marshall worked his
panels in burning, relief, and color:
"First, by applying an all over tint with a blow lamp [aka a
blowtorch] and then carving the image highlights by removing the
charred wood with gouges. . . .He may well have strengthened the overall
colour with sepia."
"These panels are staggering to look at, and one marvels at the
competence of the artist. He used a brand to sign and date his works,
often in the top right corner. The collection includes a self-portrait
of the artist, proving that he was not 'just a copyist'. BM&AG also has
a medal, awarded to Marshall at the Great Exhibition of 1851, for his
pyrographic works."
Besides the works shown here by this artist, there are more works known to be in private collections or museums. Two Ball Hughes works entitled The Sleeping Knitting Girl and The Blind Beggar of Gretna Green like the ones shown here, are in private collections and can be seen in the Antique Hall of the E-Museum of Pyrographic Art. These two were featured here in earlier issues of WOM. Two more works are known to the E-Museum, but no images have as yet been provided. One is of Daniel Webster and the other is entitled Don Quixote in His Study. Susan Millis located a second one of Daniel Webster, entitled The Honorable Daniel Webster at the Andover Historical Society. This one is neither signed nor dated. At the Bostonian Society is one called Senor Don Sancho Panza Governor of Barataria and has both the title and the initials B.H. on the front but no inscription on the back.
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The Witches from 'Macbeth' |
British collectors David and Debbie Plunton live in England where
they acquired this unsigned and undated work believed to be by Robert
Ball Hughes, aka Ball Hughes.
What appears to be a drawing of this very piece and notes on the artist
were discovered in an important 1896 article by J. Wm. Fosdick, which
was featured in Pyrograffiti
12 before the Pluntons had come forward with their pyrograph.
Their subsequent quest to establish the authenticity of this piece was
discussed in Pyrograffiti
18 here in the WOM.
Not long afterwards, Susan Millis was asked to study this piece, which
she did--in depth over some months. A summary of her findings, as
well
as more views of this piece are on line in the Ball Hughes Salon No. 3
in the Antique Hall of the E-Museum of
Pyrographic Art.
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Babylonian Lions |
Gail Houle of Maryland, U.S.A is the present owner of
Ball Hughes' "Babylonian Lions" above. Gail's piece is signed
and accompanied by two old (1800s) newspaper clippings from Dorchester
left with the pyrograph by the original owners. The work in its
original frame came down through her family from her ancestors, who were
the original owners and neighbors of Ball Hughes and his wife in
Dorchester, Massachusetts.
More views of this piece are displayed in the Ball Hughes Salon No. 4 in
the Antique Hall of the E-Museum of
Pyrographic Art.
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General Grant Proclaiming the Surrender of
Richmond |
Chuck Cordero acquired the above piece from an estate
sale.
There is little known about the piece's provenance other
than what appears in the inscription on the back signed by the artist;
however, the date inscribed there by the artist appears to be in error
as noted in the caption of the image (above).
More views of this piece are displayed in the Ball Hughes Salon No. 6 in
the Antique Hall of the E-Museum of
Pyrographic Art.
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The Last Lucifer Match |
The owner of the above pyrograph by Ball Hughes is
Frances Felix. Like Susan Millis, she herself studied
conservation in England; however, her specialty is in porcelain and
pottery restoration (see her website at Mill Hill Studio to learn
more). She currently teaches her methods in California, U.S.A.
In addition to her passion for porcelain and pottery, Frances also buys,
sells, and trades antique jewelry and sets up a booth at antique shows
about five times a year. Part of her display includes antique objects
that appeal to her. She acquired her Ball Hughes pyrograph because it
caught her eye and she wanted to place it in her booth for the same
reason, that is, as a "show stopper."
Susan expressed how pleased she was to learn that this piece was still
in existence. She already knew about it thanks to a letter that the
Andover Historical Society in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. received
from a previous owner back in 1966. He was asking for a valuation and
gave the inscription on the verso just as it appears in the caption
above. He mentioned in addition that: 'It also bears a framing sticker
from the firm of Williams & Everett, 234 Washington St., Boston, Mass.'
More views of this piece are displayed in the Ball Hughes Salon No. 7 in
the Antique Hall of the E-Museum of
Pyrographic Art.
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The Monk |
The above piece was inherited by Kelly Brown and her brother from their late
father. They are direct descendants of Ball Hughes' daughter Augusta
Ball Hughes and her husband B. F. Brown.
Accompanied by my best friend Diana Berard, who took the picture here
and more views on display in the E-Museum, I had the honor and pleasure
of visiting Kelly Brown this year and seeing her striking pyrography
panel of The Monk in person. It is in excellent condition
and is a superb example of Ball Hughes' work. The line work was most
lovely and the brown tones warm and rich. What a thrill!
Kelly, who has taken great care to conserve her family heirloom,
recently took her piece to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., to show it
to the
experts there. They were as puzzled as Kelly and I were, and Susan
Millis, too, to know which "celebrated Photograph" Ball Hughes
was referring to in the inscription he pyroengraved on the back of the
panel. Research has so far failed to reveal a reference to the work or
its photographer. The Smithsonian experts believed that it must have
been a painting, not a photograph at all, despite what Ball Hughes
wrote. I am wondering if perhaps there was a photograph of a painting
that the artist used as a model, but that is only conjecture. No
painting has turned up either.
More views of this piece are displayed in the Ball Hughes Salon No. 5 in
the Antique Hall of the E-Museum of
Pyrographic Art
In 1994, prior to her university studies, Susan Millis did a personal museum search by
writing to museums councils all over England, Scotland, Wales, and N.
Ireland. Although she received responses from all of them, very little
information was forthcoming. She did receive a valuable lead from the
then East Midlands Museums Service directing her to 1920s works in
velvet and leather at Nottingham's Museum of Costume and Textiles. On
her own, she located pyrographic works at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
She also went to see ten large oak panels in the dining room of the
Grosvenor Hotel in Stockbridge; these panels were all pictures of one
famous jockey by the name of Tom Cannon. Nine of the panels pictured
him with his winning racehorses, and the tenth showed him riding his
favorite hunter. The artist who did the handsome panels was Tom
Cannon's own sister.
Thanks to Richard Withers' notes in the E-Museum Antique Hall, Susan was
able to locate a large wall mural done in a series of joined bordered panels
of religious scenes at the church of St. Gwynog's in Aberhafesp.
Susan Millis's unique initiative to formally study the history of pyrography
and the conservation and restoration of pyrographic works is no less than
heroic. Her efforts on behalf of this art form merit immense gratitude from
all of us in the pyrographic community.
Here are Susan's thoughts about where she is now in her career:
"Now, as in the past, when I become despondent regarding fading,
I manage to put the problem aside and carry on. Pyrography will always
be part of my life in some way. For the moment, I have been researching
the life and works of Robert Ball Hughes and am engaged in formulating
conservation and restoration procedures for 'The Witches of Macbeth'
panel owned by David and Debbie Plunton. In the future, I will be
extending my career as a conservator and would like to read for a PhD,
either on pyrography or avant-garde and ephemeral art, in my spare
time."
[1] The Yves Klein quote on p. 1 is from:
Weitemeier, Hannah (1995) Yves Klein: 1928-1962, International Klein
Blue, Koln: Benedikt Taschen, p. 74.
Susan Millis highly
recommends this book.
[2] More of Susan Millis's works are in her salon in the E-Museum of
Pyrographic Art
[3] Link here to read Susan Millis's summary of her study on the Ball
Hughes panel "The Witches of Macbeth" to determine its
authenticity: Ball Hughes
Salon No. 3
[4] Susan Millis is a member of the Society of Equestrian
Artists since the early 1990s. Additional works by her can be
viewed on their website, linked here.
[5] The Birmingham Museums & Art
Gallery (BM&AG) in Birmingham, England, has a display on line of
selected pyrography works from their Pinto Collection. To view these,
log on to www.bmag.org.uk, then
click on 'collections' and type 'pyrography' into the keyword search
box. Curator of Human History Sylvia Crawley is currently responsible
for the Pinto Collection at BM&AG.
[6] Pinto, Edward H. and Eva, Tunbridge and Scottish Souvenir
Ware, London: G Bell & Sons, 1970. This is the Pintos' own book
about their famous collection that was later acquired by BM&AG. It has
a small section on their 19th C. pyrographic panels.
[7] The Susan Millis article entitled "A Burning Art" was
published in the May 1989 edition of Popular Crafts magazine.
N.B. A link to the e-mail or contact for any individual in all the
Pyrograffiti articles and E-Museum salons--where available--can be
accessed by clicking on that person's name; generally an individual's
name appears as a hot link in the introductory paragraph of a segment.
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2004, Kathleen M. Garvey Menéndez, all rights reserved.
