3/30/2023
Treatment is complete for this 1920s silk chiffon and velvet dress which showed loss in several places, including the right shoulder.
3/23/2023
After removing all the old adhesive and over paint, we revealed several areas of loss to the painted scene on the glazed surface. This loss was likely caused by the same incident that damaged the foot causing the piece to break into multiple fragments.
3/16/2023
This portrait of an anonymous lady by an anonymous British artist was so dirty that only the most basic details were visible before conservation.
3/9/2023
Paper conservation often involves undoing repairs by others who don’t have the knowledge or materials needed to best preserve the art. I recently examined a drawing by Cincinnati artist John Ruthven (1924 – 2020) with a long tear that had been mended with pressure sensitive tape, often referred to as “Scotch tape.”
3/2/2023
Are you a pal of Indian textiles? Then be sure to see the palampore currently on display in the South Asian Gallery!
2/23/2023
While cleaning and conserving our Jain shrine, we discovered several layers of paint from different periods of its history. The carved wooden designs would have been repainted several times during its use as a devotional object.
2/16/2023
These three portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723–1792) have come out of storage and into the conservation lab for the museum’s British catalog project . They are due to be examined, and perhaps treated, before heading to our photography department for high resolution imaging.
2/9/2023
A larger portion of the painting is currently on view in New York until May 7, after which the scroll will travel to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and be on exhibit June 16–September 18, 2023.
2/2/2023
Getting beautiful objects on display is a multi-stage process that often includes a stop (or several!) in Conservation. This week we installed some new objects in the Forecourt Gallery of the museum, including this child’s dress.
1/26/2023
We are working on conserving a new piece of the shrine—which is cleaning up very well—revealing beautiful bright red and yellow pigments underneath the coating.
1/19/2023
Before the work was shipped to the museum from out of state, our curator of American art, Julie Aronson, PhD, contacted a professionally trained paintings conservator in that region to examine it. He noted a few areas with cracks and lifting paint that might be jeopardized during transport. With permission from the owner , the conservator applied the three tissue paper patches you see here to make sure that no paint flakes were lost in transit.
1/11/2023
See these and other woodcut prints (including Himeji Castle in the Morning, a variation of the print seen here) by seven members of the talented Yoshida family spanning most of the twentieth century until April 9, 2023.
1/5/2023
Heat and moisture melted the missing sequins on this 1925–1926 party dress at the wearer’s armpit.
12/21/2022
Many of the carved items (such as the bow held in the hand of the figure on left side of the archway) had broken and required repairs to be carried out under a microscope.
12/15/2022
A few months ago, I posted about the complicated surface coatings on Cézanne’s Still Life with Bread and Eggs.” But what was going on under the surface was even more of a surprise.
12/8/2022
You can see the conserved Dancing Horse in the special exhibition Galloping Through Dynasties through January 1, 2023
12/1/2022
We are “dyeing” to find the perfect shades of pink silk chiffon to repair this 1920s dress!
11/17/2022
This week in objects conservation: Almost 12 months from when we first started the treatment, half of the Jain shrine has been conserved, and a new batch of pieces has moved into the lab to begin treatment.
11/10/2022
Our paintings conservator has just begun a big multi-year project, teaming with curators and other scholars, to examine CAM’s collection of 65+ paintings by British artists.
11/1/2022
It truly takes a team to make an exhibition. This
10/27/2022
Our textile conservator got to wear all these “hats” this week to address some spots on this settee in Gallery 209, the British portraiture gallery.
10/20/2022
These large jars are in rough shape and are currently in the lab for some major repairs.
10/6/2022
Look for the recently conserved painting in our gallery soon.
9/29/2022
Take a peek into preparations for the reopening of the South Asian Galleries, December 2023.
9/15/2022
Look for Bread and Eggs (and onions!) to return to the permanent galleries soon.
8/18/2022
The last step of conserving the large 7’ x 5’ painting by Murillo has arrived.
8/11/2022
The lesser-known book, The Book of Thel, is now featured in an exhibit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
8/4/2022
A whole team helped clean the galleries in a gallery-wide dust-up (or down!). Next time you visit the museum, take a minute to think about all the unseen work that goes into keeping all parts of the museum looking their best.
7/28/2022
This week in objects conservation: We have finished coating removal and cleaning of one of the 44 pieces of our Jain Shrine!