The William MB Berger Prize for British Art History 2013, a prize for excellence in the field of British art history, set up by the British Art Journal, has been awarded to Wall Paintings of Eton by Emily Howe, Henrietta McBurney, David Park, Stephen Rickerby, and Lisa Shekede.
The assessors commented: “This is a very exciting, major project on the most important surviving 15th-century wall decoration of the north of the Alps. It also features a major discovery of a 16th-century mural of a school scene that came to light in 2005 in the Head Master’s Chambers. The production was perfect, the scholarship outstanding, the international context explored; the book combines, in the most successful manner, conservation and technical reports with history of great clarity and authority. There was also the romance of the story of the involvement of M.R. James in the preservation of these very important paintings. Congratulations are also due to those who encouraged the project, including the Provost of Eton, Lord Waldegrave, and to the publisher and designer for creating such an attractive, beautifully produced book.” .
Lord Waldegrave said: “Caroline and I are delighted that the book has received this prestigious prize, particularly as we supported it partly as a memorial to M.R. James, Caroline’s great-great-uncle. Our hope is that it will also bring Eton’s extraordinary wall paintings to the wider audience they deserve. Our thanks and congratulations to the authors, in particular Eton’s Keeper of Fine and Decorative Arts, Henrietta Ryan (McBurney).
