Our Conservators Favorite Treatments of 2019

We treat thousands of objects, paintings, historical documents, rare books, family heirlooms, and other pieces every year, so we decided to ask our conservators to reflect on what their favorite project was and share it with our readers.

Rebecca Vodehnal, Associate Paintings Conservator:

“Interior Scene” Oil on Canvas

The painting was in such poor condition when it arrived (fire, water, impact damage, missing sections) that it was no longer able to be displayed. It was a challenging treatment but very satisfying to take something that was almost a loss and return it to a condition that can be displayed. I am excited to see it put back in its frame, when the frame is finished, and the painting returned home.

Kevin Lawler, Associate Conservator of Frames and Gilded Objects: (referencing the frame that goes with the above work )

19th century Gilt wooden frame

The frame itself is an interesting blend of 19th century handwork with 20th century technology. Meaning, the profile for the frame is machine cut, but the running ornamental decoration is all hand-carved and laid on top. The gesso and gilding sustained a lot of damage through the years, as well as some fire damage. About 30% of the top ornament was entirely missing, as were 3 out of the 4 corner leaves. The gesso layer was consolidated and molds were made of the missing ornament. Plaster was used to cast the ornament losses and adhered into position. The cast sections were inpainted with mica powders suspended in polyvinyl acetate resin. This will allow any future conservator to easily remove the inpainting and gild the new ornament in a manner consistent with the rest of the frame, without the use of harsh chemical agents to strip the finish off.

Stephen Ryan, Senior Furniture Conservator:

Bugatti Plant Stand, Mixed Media

The Bugatti plant stand was my favorite treatment of the year for a number of reasons. Bugatti’s designs are so unique. He is one of my top three designers of the late 19th to the early 20th century. Also, as the damage to the piece was considerable, the before and after treatment photos are more dramatic than other pieces I worked on this year. Finally, Bugatti’s construction methods and choice of materials are very unusual and present some unique challenges; not least of all veneering goat skin to a wooden substraight.

Michael Young, Senior Paintings Conservator:

Football Down Marker, Oil on Metal

The treatment started with a trip to College Station to work onsite to stabilize the existing paint surface [of the down marker from Texas A & M University] so it could travel from Texas to Chicago. After it arrived, I was able to fully consolidate the paint, as well as, clean and stabilize the rest of the materials including the corroding metal and splitting wood. The client wanted to keep the aged quality while still being able to clearly read the numbers on the blades. I was able to fabricate fill material that mimicked fractured paint which was then strategically placed in certain areas to help more clearly define the numbers.

Rob Kleeman, Senior Furniture Conservator:

Imperial Chinese Screen for Emperor Qianlong c. 1791, Stone, Lacquer on Wood

My favorite treatment of the year was undoubtedly the Imperial Chinese Screen. The level of craftsmanship by the original artisans was beyond anything I have ever seen, let alone had the pleasure of working upon. The whole project was incredibly educational. The research expanded my understanding of the period, materials and processes of Chinese screens of the late Qing Dynasty. It was also gratifying to see the immediate changes to the cinnabar during the cleaning process.

Lauren Luciano, Associate Conservator of Works on Paper:

Native American Scene, Gouache on Paper

I really enjoyed working on this piece because of the challenge. It was in very bad condition when it arrived - mounted to board and water damaged, with extensive tears and losses throughout the lower third. Additionally the media was extremely sensitive. Initially, we were unsure if much could be done to stabilize it; however, after testing and brainstorming, we came up with a game plan and the treatment went very well. Also, the client plans on donating it to a museum, which gets a lot of bonus points from me.

Amber Schabdach, Senior Paintings Conservator:

“Wood Ibis” Oil on Linoleum

The artist, Anna Taylor, was known for her linoleum prints. This piece was clearly the linoleum that she used to make the prints, that she then decided to paint with oil paints. Not only was the painting incredibly beautiful, but the way in which it degraded actually added charm that looked intentional. The paint had very stable areas of lifting in the feathers of the bird, which added texture and made the feathers have depth. After much research in linoleum and treatment to address blanching of the support, we decided to perform a minimal treatment, and keep the feathers as is, as they were stable.

Sian Pirnie, Associate Conservator of Objects:

Ceramic bowl with lid

One of my favourite projects this year was the Chinese porcelain ceramic from Glessner House. The piece had suffered impact damage and the bottom half bowl had broken into several fragments. As well as the impact damage, the dog from the top had also been previously broken and un-sympathetically repaired.
I began by piecing back together the sections from the bowl, most of which had been retained, and I was able to re-integrate all but a few tiny fragments. Any cracks or losses were then filled and polished before inpainting. Some of the glazing had been lost over the years from the decorative design within the bowl as well as on some areas on the lid, so I used a combination of watercolours and varnish to achieve the right colours and sheen.
The dog had been previously pieced back together in a way that was crooked and then in-painted in a colour that did not match the original glaze. The in-painting and detaching of the fragments was fairly easily reversed by using solvents to dissolve the paint and adhesive. The dog was then put back together, any losses and cracks were filled and then in-painted in a colour that was in keeping with the original design. Overall, the project went very smoothly and I was pleased with the outcome.

Andrew Rigsby, Assistant Furniture Conservator:

Butsudan 19th c., Gilding, Wood, Metal and Lacquer

My favorite treatment this year have to have been the Butsudan, or as we have been calling it the Japanese Temple. This was a great treatment for a lot of reasons. I was able to use many different techniques and work out some new approaches to old problems; the biggest being the extremely fragile and deteriorating urushi roof. After the initial treatment the client was very happy and decided to go for a more extensive treatment that included making multiple replacement parts and much more extensive gilding conservation. Overall, this beautiful object, that was in very rough shape when it arrived, has had a very dramatic and appropriate rebirth.

Joshua McCauley, Senior Conservator of Frames and Gilded Objects:

Nativity c. 1954, Wood, Clay, Metal, Glass and Paint

It's a hard question because I've had a lot of treatments I've been proud of. I guess if I had to pick based on difficulty and result, I would pick the Marisol. It was lost and then found in an attic. The only documentation of it existing was a Polaroid in the artist's archives and family stories of it. When it first came in, I was unsure if it was possible to treat as every part of it was broken apart. With help from the family and some research, I was able to figure out a plan forward. I was really happy with treatment and it can now be enjoyed by fans of Marisol in the future.

Bozena Szymanski, Senior Conservator of Works on Paper:

“Flower in a Vase” Watercolor on paper

My favorite treatment of the year was undoubtedly the image "Flower in the Vase", painted by a French artist in the 19th century. The object was interesting because it was painted on a thin paper and stretched on a stretcher. The technique- painting on paper (a mix of watercolor and gouache) that is mounted onto a stretcher is rather unique. The image was very well executed, requiring great skill from the artist. The object had tears at the bottom and the right edge had rippling. All the tears were repaired and the piece was re-stretched to 4-ply, as it no longer fit onto the stretcher. The original stretcher was retained to be kept with the artwork.

Katrina Flores, Associate Conservator of Works on Paper:

Boxes for Verve Magazine, Machine-made coated paper box

One of my favorite treatments from this year were the two boxes for Verve magazine. The boxes posed treatment challenges because of the 3D aspect. As a paper conservator, we are used to working on flat sheets of paper. Therefore, having to create fills for the losses and repair the sides an object that can stand on its own, I had to approach the treatment differently.

You might remember this project from last month, but if not, you can catch up on it here.

Carlos Moya, Associate Paintings Conservator:

“Portrait of a Woman” Oil on composition board

This modern portrait presented a particularly satisfying varnish removal that dramatically improved the color tone of the image. Additionally, there were corner losses that needed to be filled to match the surrounding distinctive paint texture. To accomplish this texture, I used a wax-coated fabric to cast the texture onto the fills before they set up and dried. The wax on the fabric prevents the fabric from sticking to the fill.

We’re looking forward to seeing what challenges and excitement our projects in 2020 bring!

Guest User