These 19th Century Twin Mirrors were mishandled and the original Gesso of these Traditionally Water Gilded Frames
was begining to crack and splinter off. There was also evidence of a previous attempt at repair work, as Gold Pigment Paint resided in certain areas around each frame where chips and nicks once previously left the the raw wood fame base exposed.
We, at the Gilt Studio, not only repaired the existing damaged areas, but also took measures to prevent unsuspecting Flaking problems from arising in the future by injecting Rabbit Skin Glue into the wood throughout the frame.
To repair the existing problems we first salvaged what original material we could by re-sculpting the Gesso from underneath each flake by injecting Rabbit Skin Glue through the cracks and holdng them in place until they dried in shape. As for the areas that had lost its gilding work entirely, we built up the gaps with a new base of a Rabbit Skin Glue Gesso and Red Bole , and sanded them level to match the rest of the gilded surface. Once the Grecian Key design was etched back in, we water Gilded the new surface with 23 1/2 karats genuine gold leaf and antiqued the finish to match.
Frequent topics: antique repair · Custom GildingNo Comments.
