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To find answers to these questions the Restoration Team first searched for physical evidence on the columns.  While much of the columns had been stripped down to the bare brickwork during what appeared to be multiple generations of render replacements, several areas were found with what appeared to be older generations of multiple finishes layered on top of each other.  The top-most layer appeared to be a cream-colored paint with sand mixed into (or dashed onto) it to give it a stone-like appearance.  Below this layer, there was another layer of finish that appeared to be a very thin layer of a chalky finish that could either have been a thin coat of white-lime render or a buildup of multiple white washes.  At this point the Restoration Team at Montpelier had reached the end of their expertise and turned to paint conservator Dr. Susan Buck to analyze the history of finishes on the columns. 

3b

A patch of possibly Madison-era paint found surviving on one of the Colonnade columns.  The rough, sanded cream-colored paint found as the top coat would prove to be an important key in determining how the columns were finished during the Madison ownership of Montpelier.