The National Portrait Gallery holds the world’s most significant public collection of Tudor and Jacobean paintings.
Between 2007 and 2012, its transformative research project ‘Making Art in Tudor Britain’ generated unprecedented heritage-science data on 120 portraits from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. A central element of the project was the taking of paint samples, mounted as cross-sections, to investigate paint composition and structure. However, images and detailed metadata from these cross-sections are not currently in formats suitable for broad dissemination.
About the Role
The missing piece: sharing cross-sections from the ‘Making Art in Tudor Britain’ project is a research initiative supported by Heritage Science Data Service Small Grants Programme. You will take a key role delivering the project, with responsibility to identify cross-sections produced during the original research; extract relevant metadata from the reports; re-photograph samples; review and align metadata with the new images; and prepare the full dataset for sharing with HSDS for wider dissemination.
The resulting coherent and accessible dataset will unite cross-section images and metadata with extensive associated heritage-science information, providing an essential reference point for understanding painting materials and techniques in Britain during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Key Accountabilities
- With support from internal and external stakeholders, review and establish imaging and metadata protocols, and project methodology
- Gather and assess existing cross-sections and associated data
- Use microscopy to study samples and compare them with corresponding reports, re-labeling where necessary
- Photograph samples, label according to project protocols, store in Digital Asset Management System
- Extract and capture existing and new metadata, aligning with new images
- Prepare the full dataset for deposit with HSDS
About You
- Educated to degree level or higher in the conservation of easel paintings, conservation science, or technical art history, or at least 5 years of relevant experience working in a relevant conservation field
- Knowledge and understanding of the materials and techniques of Tudor and Jacobean period paintings
- Proficiency in the examination and interpretation of painting sample cross-sections
- Experience of using microscope cameras and software to capture clear images of cross-section samples
- Ability to work with archival documentation to locate, review and extract relevant information
- Ability to understand and interpret cross-section analysis reports, including technical examination results such as SEM-EDX and polarized light microscopy
- Excellent organization skills with a methodical approach and the ability to work to deadlines
- Demonstrable skills organizing and presenting data using Excel and other IT software as required
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and stakeholders
- Strong and effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent working knowledge and application of COSHH and Health & Safety guidelines
How to Apply
For more information and to apply, please visit the National Portrait Gallery Website before the role deadline on Monday 27 April 2026.