We recently helped a client enlist the skills of a qualified conservator to restore a pair of 1877 Maltese paintings by Girolamo Gianni. As you can see from the photos the paintings came to us needing a bit of TLC. Even although they had mounts, some of the paint had managed to transfer on to the glass. Micro cracking of the paint and other signs of aging were also present.
Knowing that this was a job beyond our expertise, we searched The Institute of Conservation for a qualified conservator in our area, and were fortunate to come across Ela Wiklo, who is a paper conservation consultant, and the Preservation Manager at the University of Glasgow.
Ela spent a lot of time with the client, and us, explaining exactly what needed to be done. The customer agreed to let Ela take the paintings away so she could work her magic. She was extremely thorough in her process, providing 19 page conservation treatment report, including background on the artist, detailed photographs of every step, and an explanation of the processes used. To say we were impressed would be an understatement.
We particularly enjoyed seeing some of the detailed microscope photos that drew attention to the skill and precision of the artist.
Ela returned the paintings to us for framing a couple of weeks later, and they looked fantastic while still maintaining the character that comes with their age.
With the restoration process complete, it was up to us to ensure that the paintings were framed to the very highest level (Guild Framing Level 1). This involved a non-adhesive mounting method, and Level 1 (100% cotton mountboard) behind fully UV filtered specialist glass. We finished the presentation off with a frame that complements the tones in both pieces of artwork.
We enjoyed the opportunity to work with our client and a Qualified Conservator to breathe new life into these near 150 year old paintings. We have done everything possible to ensure that they are best protected from whatever the next 150 years will have in store for them.
