In Detail: Conservation Work on the Royal Garrison Church Woolwich

The restoration of the circa 1890 Salviati mosaics in the Royal Garrison Church is entering its final phase, as conservators with Skillington Ltd. spend the next few weeks on site to finish reinstalling the remaining pieces.

Funded by the Heritage of London Trust and working under the supervision of the English Heritage, the conservation work was necessary due to the poor state of the mosaics resulting from decades of exposure to environmental conditions after the bombing of the church in 1944.

Most of the conservation was carried out in situ, including stabilization of mortars and loose tesserae, disinfection and cleaning. In the decorative border around St George, there was also the replacement of old repairs with new tesserae in the same tone.

Another company had previously removed some of the mosaics, and these were restored at Skillington Ltd.'s workshop. Those conserved pieces are now being installed, which would complete the mosaic restoration project.

Sources: 
The photographs and information about the conservation work have been kindly provided by Kalypso Kampani of Decorative Arts Conservation and Restoration. Ms. Kampani wrote the original proposal for the restoration grant and is the head conservator on the project.

Orvieto Cathedral

The building of this Roman Catholic cathedral in northern Italy started in the 13th century. Maitani's Tuscan Gothic facade recalls the cathedrals at both Siena and Florence. Cesare Nebbia designed the original mosaics from 1350-90.

Just like with St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Salviati's craftsmen also restored the mosaics on the upper part of this cathedral's facade sometime before 1883.

The Coronation of the Virgin on the topmost gable.

Sources:
Art Notes. NY Times. February 4, 1883.
Wikipedia
Adonovan0 on Wikimedia Commons
Georges Jansoone on Wikimedia Commons
fortherock on Wikimedia Commons