Restoration of an Antique French Marriage Mirror

This early 20th century XVI revival gilt marriage mirror was recovered by our team after a severe fire.  The 22 karat gilded frame not only needed cleaning to remove the soot, the gilding needed to be selectively stabilized.  

The original patination of the antique silvering on the glass panel was preserved.

The Conservation of a Gilded Age Frame

The hanging hardware failed on this gilded age frame, causing it to fall to the floor. The impact resulted in several areas of damaged an missing ornamentation. The frame was cleaned using a combination of aqueous and dry methods.  The lifting areas of finish and damaged ornamentation were consolidated using an archival adhesive.  The ornamentation losses were infulled, cast and selectively carved.

It’s Never Too Late

The Marriage of a 19th c. Portrait and Frame

A Question of Engagement Our client arrived with this beautiful antique portrait and a 19th-century gilded frame that they purchased from an antique store.

At first glance it seemed to be the perfect match, however, the portrait width and height did not match the frame. 

The Treatment of a 19th c. Gilded English Frame

This 19th century frame arrived to us with several areas of loss and discolored overpaint.  The remaining compo ornamentation was very unstable throughout. Fortunately, the owner was able to save most of the fragments in a small bag for us to use during treatment.