Blog
An Inspired Charles Prendergast Frame for a Turn of the Century Portrait
Charles Prendergast was a renowned frame-maker at the turn of the century. This heirloom albumen print arrived at our studio for framing. We selected this 3/4″ width, Charles Prendergast-inspired frame. The two-tone 22k and 12k white gold leaf with inscribed flower blossoms at each corner provided visual interest without overwhelming the portrait. With the details of the floral design and the implementation of two different karats of gold leaf, this frame honors the vision of Prendergast by “bringing out the fine points of a good picture”.
Before and After-The Treatment of a Mid Century Still Life Painting
A great before and after example of a recent painting treatment.
Through surface cleaning and minor conservation intervention, the painting now represents the artist’s original intention and is now back on display.
The Creation of a Time-Honored Gilded Portrait Frame
The fabrication of a custom gilded frame for an heirloom portrait by William Carqueville.
This beautiful portrait from the early 1930s was painted by Chicago artist, William Carqueville (1871-1946). He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and briefly in Paris. While he is known for his realistic paintings, he is most recognized for his lithographic illustrations. His work was published in literary magazines such as Lippencotts, International, Harper’s, Scribner’s, etc. Read more to learn more about the step-by-step process of making a custom finished corner frame for this stunning portrait.
Treatment of a 19th Century Monumental Urn
This 19th century monumental urn arrived to us with a broken post that was heavily corroded. Old previous, failed attempts to repair were evident.
The urn was carefully cleaned and disassembled. A new mechanical fastener was installed and the urn properly reassembled. A light protective coat of microcrystalline wax was applied to the surface and hand buffed. Now stable, the piece is now back on display.
A shadowbox frame for Dancing Hare and Dancing Kong Tamari
We recently framed this pair of figures, Dancing Hare Toddy and Dancing Kong Tamari, c. 1980, by Chicago Imagist, Karl Wirsum.
Each figure was archival hinged and elevated within the shadowbox frame to allow more visual depth. The simplicity and contrast of the black frame with the ragboard mount nicely offsets prominent teal color, while reinforcing the linear design in the figures. White ragboard spacers were used to line the interior of the frame. Conservation clear glass was installed to help protect the work from UV light. The original envelope for the set was encapsulated and mounted to the backboard on the verso. Our designers work with our clients to review and select the right frame profile, mount, glazing, backboard and overall presentation. We enjoy creating the right frame to display our client’s artwork, while archivally mounting and framing the piece to ensure its longevity.
Cleaning of a Victorian Spoon Warmer
In the late 19th century when Victorian homes were cold and drafty, having cold silverware was a concern. Spoon warmers were considered a fashionable way for the hostess to warm serving spoons. This nautilus shaped, silver plated spoon warmer was made in the last quarter of the 19th century by Atkin Brothers. The piece arrived heavily soiled with kitchen grease and tarmished. The warmer was carefully cleansed to remove soiling and grease deposits. It was then hand polished to it’s desired luster. Attention was paid to not overclean and compromised the plating.
Custom, Museum Quality Frames Handmade in Chicago
Located in Chicago, we create custom, finished corner, museum quality fine art frames. Traditional or contemporary; gilded, stained or lacquered, each frame is custom designed and handmade. Our showroom features over 5,000 custom picture frame samples, all of which can be further customized.
A Custom Display for an Heirloom Sgian-dubh
A custom double post mount was made to display this heirloom Sgian-Dubh with sheath. A sgian-dubh is a small single edged knife worn as part of Scottish Highland Dress.
To honor both the knife and the sheath, it was decided to display both pieces rather than just the sgian-dubh inset within the sheath. A double post steel mount was fabricated to elevate and present each piece at a slight angle. The mount was painted with a black, powdercoated finish. The mount has a dado step to accommodate the vitrine.
A custom acrylic vitrine with polished museum seams was fabricated to cover and protect the heirloom for display.
Antique Glass Replacement for an Heirloom Curio Cabinet
This antique curio cabinet was damaged from impact from a collapsed wall.
The glass panel in the right door was broken, and the veneer on the wooden cabinet was abraded from contact with moisture and debris. The broken antique glass panel had the desirable waviness and distortion that is typical of glass in the late 1700s-early 1900s.
The curio cabinet was a prized family heirloom, and one of the favorite elements was the character of the rippled and waviness of the glass panel.
During the treatment, we wanted to ensure that the replacement glass panel matched the remaining antique glass panel in the left door. Contemporary glass is even in plane and does not have the distortion as antique glass. A new glass panel just simply wouldn’t do!
A Custom Vitrine for “An Infinite Expanse of Sky” by Jacob Hashimoto
This petite kite is part of an edition of 300, from the January 20, 1998-September 26,1999 installation at the MCA Chicago. The kite was reversibly mounted to an archival, white linen wrapped mount and then elevated 3/4″ from the linen mount to give it a floating effect within the display. Given the small size, the vitrine was designed to be versatile, so it is deep enough for it to stand upright on a shelf or could be installed flush to a wall with an integrated cleat.
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