conservation & restoration
When a frame arrives in the studio its condition is assessed. The need for structural repairs, cleaning, replacement of lost or damaged ornamentation, gesso and surface repairs and in-fill, oil or water gilding, and toning are all taken into consideration in determining the most appropriate treatment for each frame.
There are, essentially, two paths to frame repair: Conservation and Restoration.
CONSERVATION is an approach that strives to preserve the historical integrity of the frame, including the wear and tear that has lead to its current condition. It may be stabilized to prevent further deterioration, cleaned, and minimally repaired using historically compatible methods and materials. But, for example, a gilded finish, showing the distressing from decades or even centuries of wear, may be left as a testimony to the frame’s age.
RESTORATION allows not only for the stabilization of that same gilt surface but also for it to be regilded, using those same methods and materials originally employed when the frame was created.
A restored frame has, in essence, had its clock turned back to an earlier point in its history while a conserved frame has had its historical clock halted.
The condition of the frame, its future intended use, along with budget considerations influence the final proposal which is written up, discussed and approved before work begins. |
