Monday, September 5, 2016

Always Take Another Look

This frame had a missing corner piece - a fairly straightforward repair. My first step is usually to do an overall survey of the object, and this was in overall good condition - the corner was probably just due to a bump or a bad moving experience.

While selecting an intact portion to make my mold I noticed some other small areas were missing. Since these damages had apparently happened long ago, the accumulated dirt, grim and dust (or as we more fashionably call it - patina) made the losses inconspicuous. But, in for a penny, in for a pound, I elected to replace these areas as well.


White areas of gesso show where replacements were needed



Replacement detail

More replacement detail




Original missing corner replaced and gessoed

Gilded


Usual steps were followed - mold-making, casting, fitting, gilding and toning. I get nervous about having to work on a frame with the art still installed - but in this case, the client didn't want the backings removed as they contained part of the work's history. This means hiding the project in a safe place between working sessions (which usually means forgetting about it), and having to keep the painting covered while frame restoration is in progress.

Finally done and packed for return.