Colour measurement and documentation in historical buildings: the case study of the Kirna Manor House in Estonia

Historical buildings and their decorative apparatus have a key role in the transmission of national and local traditions, requiring careful conservation of these structures and their overlapping decorative layers, mostly made up of stuccos and coatings. Unfortunately, the procedures and methodologies for both documenting and preserving such cultural heritage are not clearly standardised in Estonia, where most historic manor houses are managed by private owners who have no precise guidelines to follow during the restoration of such complex structures. To amend this issue, the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) organised an international workshop on “Colour Measurement and Documentation in Architectural Paint Research” with the aim to bring together several experts, techniques and tools from different countries in order to define, optimise and modernise the methodologies employed for the identification, documentation and preservation of historical painted interiors and colours. In addition to a theoretical session, the workshop held in October 2019 entailed practical work at the Kirna Manor House, analysing the entrance hall of the building. The paper presents the results of the research and the discussion between international experts.