STENCILLING
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Stencilling is possibly the oldest paint technique known to man. Paleolithic examples can be found in cave paintings in France, and Aboriginal rock paintings in Australia. It is a simple technique used to produce delicate, polychromatic and gilded decoration. It was widely used in mediaeval church decoration but was taken to exquisite levels of colour and complexity during the Gothic Revival of the late 19th C. Clough Harris has considerable experience in the restoration of stencilled decoration from this period and is often called upon to recreate 'lost' schemes. Examples of their work can be found in the Palace of Westminster and the National Gallery.