They say a broken mirror causes seven years of bad luck, but with the work of our skilled conservators, we can cut that timeframe down to a few months of treatment. When this beautiful gilded mirror arrived at The Center in pieces after a fall, our team knew exactly how to handle this multi-faceted project.
The mirror prior to treatment.
The frame was made of wood, gesso, plaster, red bole, and gold leaf. The joints showed severe impact damage, as all three lower joints— of both the inner and outer frames—had separated. Additionally, the bottom joint of the outer frame had split into three sections. There was severe damage to the inner rabbet of the frame, and the center mirror had broken free. An abrasion appeared at the top center of the mirror, while the lower proper right mirror section in the outer quadrant had fractured. The center plaster casts had separated from both the inner and outer frames. The upper pediment displayed two fractures and slight movement, and the lower swags along with the center shell plaster ornament experienced severe impact damage. Extensive plaster losses and bends were present in the metal armature in this area. Although broken plaster fragments had been retained, the extent of missing plaster remained unclear. Previous repairs to plaster ornamentation were evident in the upper proper right foliage, the lower center shell, and the proper left scrolls adjacent to the shell. The frame exhibited minor abrasions throughout, with moderate losses of gesso and gilding primarily located at the joints. Overall, severe plaster ornament losses were noted throughout the frame.
Losses to the plaster ornaments are visible.
It was time to roll up our sleeves: the joints were rebuilt and the applied plaster ornament was stabilized, while the damaged plaster, gesso, and gilding were consolidated with a conservation adhesive. The frame was cleaned with solvents. Like solving a puzzle, areas of missing decoration were re-cast in plaster and attached to the frame in the correct locations, and losses were filled with conservation-grade fill material.
Watch one of our conservators painstakingly carve plaster casts to replace areas of missing decoration.
Fills and newly cast decoration were ingilded to closely emulate the surrounding surface. Scratches and abrasions that extended to the gesso layer were inpainted to match as closely as possible, and the restorations were patinated.
A close-up of an area being ingilded.
Aside from these restorations, the finish remained in its original state. A replacement mirror, designed to emulate the color and style of the original, was custom cut to replace the broken mirror at the lower proper right. Both the existing and newly cut mirrors were refit into the repaired frame, and new backing boards were added to the reverse for additional support.
After treatment was complete, this gilded mirror was completely returned to its original glory -- any semblance of bad luck vanquished – ready to hang in the home of our client for years to come.
