At last I was able to finish this rather long term restoration project:- The repair and re-gilding of a beautiful Regency Sofa.
I am pretty pleased with the results and it was worth all the hard work!
Juggling life with two teenage children combined with family life over Christmas meant that the holiday season was; as far as work was concerned put frustratingly on hold!
There is a lot to be said for a studio and workshop that is separate from your home, even if it is just a few hundred meters away! I can see why people like their garden sheds! The only difference is; for me getting work done is crucial for my livelihood!
Thankfully my ever patient customer; a friend and Local Antique Dealer has a good collaborative and altruistic attitude tempered with appreciation and contentment for the quality of work undertaken.
So here are some of the final stages of completion!
A very battered right hand side.
This sofa was sympathetically restored to Museum standards leaving most parts of the original gesso and gilding with exception on both front legs where they combine into the arms. These had been very badly smashed in places due to them being in a place of high stress from wear and tear.I had to rebuild quite a bit of them. A very small percentage of wood had been replaced and joints had been fixed with dowel and traditional hide glue (known also as scotch glue),wherever possible in order for ease of future restorations. Other Synthetic glues; although strong and waterproof are harder to remove and can cause more damage to the original piece during removal. However woodworm treatment is one essential modern product that I would rarely overlook! especially as it can put other customers furniture at risk not to mention anything wooden including bits of your house!?!
The clay Bole Stage.
Clay bole is Mixed from very fine natural pigment clay and rabbit skin glue heated gently in a bain-Marie. I mixed several different clay's together in order to obtain the original Colour which lies underneath the gold.
Sympathetic Restoration:How to decide.
I think one of the primary things to help with the decision on what to save on something old really comes down to its condition and acceptance of natural wear and tear form age being part of its charm. Otherwise presumably you would be buying something new would you not?
From a restorers point of view; stabilizing something in order to preserve it is one of your primary concerns, coupled with the all important task of cleaning it and removing old deteriorated restorations. Usually when the cleaning is done you will get a clearer picture of what is left to preserve because you can see what has actually happened to the piece during its lifetime.
Gilding.
Water gilding was used as opposed to oil gilding because it is was originally used on the sofa. Also it gives a lovely effect. There are different purities and colours of gold you can use, so it is a question of matching gold to the original piece as near as possible. Old gold was thicker and often hand beaten and gives a slightly different look to some of the modern gold leaf available today.
A mixture of weak rabbit skin glue, very strong proof alcohol and water is brushed on whilst thin loose leaf Gold is applied using a gilders tip. The Process is tricky and requires practice as gold floats off even with the slightest of breaths! It also has to be cut into smaller pieces usually on a special pad. it has to then dry for up to 12 hours before lose bits are removed and it is burnished in order to make it really shine.
Burnishing.
The gold is then 'burnished' with a tool that has a highly polished agate stone in it. This not only polishes the gold but also the Red bole clay underneath giving it the effect of being shiny solid gold.
Finishing touches.
The new gilding was 'distressed' (worn a little) to blend it in with the old original gold. It was then waxed polished along with the exposed wooden areas to protect it and give it a final luster. Gilding of this nature where either wooden or painted areas are left showing is known as parcel gilding.
The Sofa has now gone to the upholsterer for it's final touch! And I have my studio space back! So I can continue with my design for an etching 'Flight of the Spoonbill' for Open studio 13. I will be posting about this soon!
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