Tonal Control

Hogarth's Tonal Control system allows you to enhance your art works colour temperature.

To date there has not been a way to illuminate art works perfectly, the main problem is that bulbs (incandescent, tungsten, halogen etc.) emit a certain colour temperature, no matter what type of bulb is used it will not compliment all of the pigments within an art work or give the same temperature as when the artist created the painting - the colour the artist intended.

Via our small hand held remote it is possible to:

  • Illuminate through every colour temperature from candle to daylight,
  • Individually enhance areas within an art work,
  • Automatically set the correct intensity for oil paintings: 200 Lumen,
  • Automatically set the correct intensity for watercolors: 50 Lumen,
  • 8 pre settings by Hogarth to suit most art works: Portraits, Landscapes, Old Masters, Impressionist, Watercolours, Still Life, Photos and Prints,
  • Individually adjust the tonal output,
  • Store and set,
  • Dim from zero to maximum,
  • Bulb output is L.E.D. therefore zero heat and U.V. onto the canvas, totally safe for illuminating fine art,
  • Adjustment to enhance black and white photos and prints,
  • Our system brings faded and old art works to life.
standalone remote for picture lights enhancement
Stand alone remote control

Example

Our test art work below shows all the problems of illumination.

The Sea is predominantly green. The sky is moody grey, just after a storm still raging to the far left. At the top right there is blue sky breaking through the creamy white clouds. The Flags have red stripes, the sails are lit by the sun breaking through to the right, making them shine with warmth.

This art work could not be illuminated well by just one type of bulb, certain areas of the art work need adjustment to highlight them.

The beautiful blue sky top right is cooler than it should be, the red stripes on the flags and along the deck could be enhanced. Even if illuminated by halogen or cooler temperature bulbs there would still be pigment areas that would look wrong - not as the painter intended. due to the colour temperature of bulbs.

Further example: a red Ferrari sports car will look red in sunshine. Park the car in a garage with halogen bulbs and the red will look different. View the car in a showroom illuminated by tungsten bulbs and the red will look different again.

There are ways to measure the ability of how a bulb changes the color of an object or the pigments in an art work known as Colour Rendition (C R I - Colour Rendition Index).

To help with understanding some of the references within our system, Noon daylight is measured to be around 5500K (Kelvin) and is classed as being quite a white source of light. A candle will give off a very warm light at around 2000K. An incandescent filament bulb is cooler than a candle at 2600K and halogen bulbs are cooler still at 3500K with fluorescent bulbs at 4500K.

hogarth ship oil painting tonal control

Hogarth

Lighting
  • Main Office

  • Mr. Robert Hogarth
  • Birchen Reeds
  • Charles Hill
  • Tilford
  • SURREY
  • GU10 2AS
  • Contact

  • Tel: 0800 328 8051
  • Email

Museum Certified All variations of our light are certified as meeting the stringent CIBSE (museum lighting guide) with zero heat and UV output onto the canvas. UK Patent No 0001477.9. US Patent No 09/764818