LEATHER, IVORY & OTHER ORGANIC MATERIALS

Italian Renaissance leather chair

The back of this chair was repaired with layers of archival fabric and film adhesive, using a warm tacking iron from the inside to press the lining in place. Gaps were filled with the same film adhesive and colored with reversible pigments.

Italian Renaissance leather chair

The fragile, split leather seat of this chair needed relining and repair.

Italian Renaissance leather chair

The cloth backing also needed repair.

Italian Renaissance leather chair

Patches of archival fabric were cut to line the torn sections.

Italian Renaissance leather chair

Archival, reversible adhesive was used to attach the new linings to the layers of leather and burlap.

Italian Renaissance leather chair

The small bit of exposed lining was colored to help blend the repair.

Italian Renaissance leather chair

After treatment. 600 year old skin is fragile and not functional as a weight-bearing material, so the seat of this chair was blocked with a ribbon before exhibition.

German Renaissance leather chest

The leather on this wood desktop chest had split in multiple places.

German Renaissance leather chest

The splits were pressed flat in a humidity chamber, then filled with easily-reversible, thermoplastic leather fill colored to match the original leather.

German Renaissance leather chest

Before treatment

German Renaissance leather chest

After treatment

16th c. ebony and ivory desk cabinet

Before treatment: many pieces of ebony molding and trim were broken off or missing.

16th c. ebony and ivory desk cabinet

After treatment: the pieces were repaired and reattached, and the wax layer was removed and replaced.

16th c. ebony and ivory desk cabinet

Before treatment: many pieces of ebony veneer had been lost.

16th c. ebony and ivory desk cabinet

The missing veneer was filled with reversible resin, but the pictures on the ivory were not recreated, and the restorations were purposely left slightly visible.

16th c. ebony and ivory desk cabinet

Detail, before treatment

16th c. ebony and ivory desk cabinet

Detail, after treatment

Elfriede M. Abbe, carved oak mural

This 31' long relief-carved oak mural from the 1950s had been the victim of stains from a building water leak, then a disfiguring previous restoration attempt.

Elfriede M. Abbe, carved oak mural

Before treatment: the previous restoration attempts only produced shiny and darkened spots.

Elfriede M. Abbe, carved oak mural

Detail after treatment: layers of wax and powdered pigments were applied to carefully match the surrounding pickled matt surface.

Elfriede M. Abbe, carved oak mural

After treatment

African Chi Wara antelope head piece

Before treatment

African Chi Wara antelope head piece

After treatment

Replaced fabric backing

Over many years, a faded circle was created by the ambient light striking the black fabric through the sculptural hole on the front of this sculpture. The fabric was removed, and new light-fast velvet was wired to the frame.

Lee Bontecou, FLIT

After treatment and installation

Sumatran ivory and wood bust

Before treatment

Sumatran ivory and wood bust

A large wood chip at the collar had been lost.

Sumatran ivory and wood bust

The compression crack was left alone on this bust, but the lost wood chip was replaced, and the ivory was repaired.

Sumatran ivory and wood bust

After treatment

Ivory and bakelite pipe

Before treatment, with one horse foreleg missing

Ivory and bakelite pipe

After treatment, with leg created from resin

African mask

Swan table

Paper lamp shade

Before treatment

Paper lamp shade

After treatment: the paper will remain brittle from the acids used in the original paper fabrication, but the top was structurally stabilized.

19th c. paper mâché teaching model

This scientific teaching model of a snapdragon, by the Brendel Company in Germany, had been recently over-painted with a thick layer of unremovable paint.

19th c. paper mâché teaching model

The client provided a photograph of appropriate coloration of a snapdragon, and the surface was airbrushed to reflect more appropriate colors.

19th c. paper mâché teaching model

Before treatment

19th c. paper mâché teaching model

After treatment

19th c. paper mâché teaching model

This scientific teaching model of a moss capsule, by the Brendel Company in Germany, was made to come apart into six pieces. 100 years of use in a classroom had taken its toll on the delicate structures and the surface, and the base had been lost.

Detail, 15th century wood St. George

Before treatment: a finger had been lost.

Detail, 15th century wood St. George

After treatment: the missing finger was sculpted, and attached to the hand with archival, reversible adhesive.