Recently, a Modern Charles (1907-1978) and Ray (1912-1988) Eames chair and an antique Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806) style chair were brought separately to The Conservation Center, for review. Both chairs are examples of influential furniture designs. We received some interesting background information from the collectors and an explanation from our associate furniture conservator, Michael Young about the various challenges faced when conserving 18th century versus mid-20th century furniture.
The Conservation Center often assists museums, institutions, foundations and non-profit organizations with the presentation and care of their collections. Aside from providing a wide array of conservation services, The Center's experts are always on hand to consult on long-term preservation planning, on the display, packing, transport and long-term storage of collections, or to help formulate Disaster Response plans. Our conservators are also brought in on projects to provide courier services and condition reports for lending institutions, or to help with the final stages of exhibition preparation.
A private collector brought this print to The Center several months ago. To a critical eye, the print was in poor condition: the sheet was soiled and distorted, and there were two tears that were barely visible except upon close inspection (see figs. 1-3). The tears required intricate repair work to realign the edges and provide necessary structural support to the compromised sheet, while keeping the repair as discreet as possible. After the piece was safely returned in its improved condition, the collector wrote the following testimonial for us to share:
The Dress was in extremely fragile condition when it arrived at The Center. After consulting with the client, The Center’s Textile Conservator created a treatment plan that made it suitable for continued use and took into consideration the historic nature of the piece. The repaired dress was returned to the client in an archival box that can be used to protect and house the piece between christenings.
Whether a corporation’s art collection is a curated investment, a donation from an art-loving CEO, an act of community connection, or a trove of archival material, keeping it in good condition requires the knowledge of experts. The Conservation Center has a long history of caring for corporate art holdings in four categories: disaster response, re-housing, storage, and display.
When this vellum document arrived at The Center, it had experienced severe water- and age-related damage. Over the course of many years, the vellum had rotted and subsequently it exhibited severe distortion, in addition to having been stored folded in quarters. Moreover, the pages were wet, causing irreversible pigment migration between the touching pages; the water also left several water stains throughout. In addition to the fold creases, there were horizontal creases down the center of the sheet, tears at the lower left and around the edges, and a large loss at the lower right.
The Animalistic Vase was brought to The Center because it was broken into over twenty pieces and minute fragments. It had previously been extensively repaired with adhesive, and the joints restored with painted plaster. Before treatment began, it was difficult to determine just how many losses there were, but it appeared that all main fragments were present and the losses were minimal. On the surface, there was archeological evidence, as well as evidence of use and wear with related scratches and abrasions.
This portrait was one of a series of artworks brought to The Center after a destructive home fire. The painting showed signs of severe fire-related damage: the
ordeal left a heavy, dark layer of oily and acidic soot on the surface, obscuring the painted surface completely. Additionally, the stretcher had been charred, and undulations were present throughout the canvas.
The peoples living in what we today know as The People’s Republic of China have been making art for centuries. Our personal archives can hardly hope to present a complete picture of Chinese art history, but we have been graced with some excellent examples of artistic eras and traditions, spanning in some cases thousands of years.
The Napoleonic Dragoon Helmet, an example of the Grecian-inspired helmets worn by specific members of Napoleon’s cavalry, was brought to The Center in need of restoration. The leather lining of the helmet was loose with several losses to the leather and the risk of further degradation. The proper right leather strap was loose as well, with both straps having been previously re-attached with blue putty. Furthermore, the skull of the helmet exhibited several shallow dents and the horse hair mane was tangled and messy. The top decoration was missing from the helmet completely. There were some scratches on the surface, as well as evidence of use and wear. The metal and hair elements were both coated with dust and grime. There was also some tarnish on the gilded areas.
This painting is from a series of unique pulp art pieces brought to The Center. The conservator initially observed that the quality of the paint layer was inconsistent throughout the painting surface, indicating previous restoration. For example, the paint on the female figure was much more yellow and thickly applied than on the rest of the painting. Examination under UV light confirmed the conservator’s hypothesis of heavy overpainting; large expanses of previous overpaint were in fact present, including all of the woman’s body, face, hair, and the man’s jacket.
This Tibetan headdress arrived at The Center with a severe active moth infestation that had caused major surface and structural damage. The conservation of this object has been an arduous, ongoing process since it was brought to The Center. Moths consume keratin, a protein found in animal furs and wool, and subsequently can destroy anything made from animal products.
This Chinese Tang Dynasty Painted Pottery Figure of a Prancing Horse was damaged as a result of improper packing and packing materials during the shipping process. Upon examination, it was discovered that the breaks occurred at points on the legs where they had been previously repaired. It also became evident that there were other areas of previous poor restoration, notably around the face of the horse; these areas remained unharmed.
When the paper conservation staff here at The Center first encountered this massive and fragile poster, we immediately noticed that, along with water damage, the current housing was inappropriate for the longevity of the piece: The frame was an inadequate depth, and the sheet was in direct contact with a large and fragile piece of glass. Initially, due to the lack of spacers or mat, the poster appeared to be adhered to the glass which would have complicated matters greatly. Upon further examination, it was determined that a layer of discolored varnish on the surface of the piece was creating this illusion. In addition to the problem varnish, this work exhibited many areas of extremely tight distortion; these were the result of an earlier and unsuccessful effort to back the piece to fabric and mount it to a Masonite board.
This quaint little painting of an Old Woman Feeding the Birds was recently brought to The Center for treatment due to the complex tear throughout the canvas. The painting, measuring 9 ½” x 7”, had fallen from the wall, causing numerous tears and pulling of the left edge of the canvas from the stretcher. The artist is unknown, but the piece is most likely from the late 19th/ early 20th century and an important personal item to the owner.
A two foot tall plaster replica of a traditional African carved wooden sculpture of sentimental importance came to The Center from a private collection after it had incurred severe damage from a fall. The impact of the fall bent the steel armature within both of the ears and caused them to shatter into over one hundred pieces. After careful examination of the piece, we decided the bends were irreversible due to the damage that rebending the metal might cause to the intact sections of the sculpture. Despite this, we determined it was possible to reassemble the broken ears and restore them to their original appearance.
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