Ceramics & Artifacts Restoration

Making feathers over armature

Here's an assortment of ceramic and artifact restoration and conservation links. .................................................................................................................

Restorers On The Net - links to web pages of studios and associations. Find a restorer in your area; or if you are one with a web page - email Mar to get on the list!

Visit my Ceramic Restoration FAQ, to find out how to find the right restorer, what to take to them, and what to expect of the results.

This page was featured in the March '96 issue of Webguide magazine.

Feathers built up over epoxy stubs

Completed feathers

In the 12th century the Chinese restored ceramics of value with a bronze flux. Later the Japanese were coating the fill in their restored ceramics with gold lacquer. Laurence Sterne, in an 18th century novel, described itinerant salesmen walking the residential streets of Paris, much like our knife-sharpeners of today, pulling their rivet-boring machines behind them, and calling up to the windows for plates to mend.In the present day, if you go to a restorer to repair your damaged treasures, you will find a person using space-age materials, and sensitive, up-to-date machinery; but also, you will find a traditional craftsperson with a perfectionist's eye, and an empathic feel for the art object.

 

Restorer/Conservators On The Net

Painting Restorers

Archival Restorers

Materials & Books (see more info below)

Miscellaneous

Ceramic Restorers

CANADA

USA

OTHER

Restorers - to add your web page to this list email Mar. Web pages only, please - this is not a list of email addresses.

Sevres lid during restoration

Sevres lid after painting


Restoration/Conservation Studies

(So - you want to be a restorer, conservator, or museum worker?)

  • In 2000 I was interviewed by Career Cruising for a CDROM intended to be an interactice career guidance guide for the younger person complete with video and sound clips. In this CDROM both I and another art restorer describe a typical day's work and answer 11 key questions about our field.
  • Sir Sandford Fleming College in Southern Ontario offers an intensive 4-semester course in Collections Conservation and Management and a one year programme in Museum Management and Curatorship. The Co-ordinator is Gayle McIntyre.
  • Queen's University at Kingston, Canada offers two years master's degree programs in the conservation of historic and artistic works to students with a four year honours degree in the humanities or sciences, a minimum two terms of general chemistry and one term of organic chemistry all with the associated lab components and good visual sensitivity and manual skills. Co-requisities may include eg. archeology, art history, studio art, museology, library science, photography and darkroom practices, etc. depending on the area of specialization.  
  • West Dean College offers a two year diploma course in ceramic restoration.The college is situated in south east England some 6 miles north of the historic city of Chichester.It has a well equipped workshop designed for use for up to 12 students. Six students are accepted each year. Applicants must be over the age of 18.

Restoration/Conservation Supplies and Services

  • East Valley Supply in Andover, NY has a very good quality epoxy clay which I find to be a good consistancy for the fill and modelling aspects of ceramics restoration. Graham Marks also sells dry pigments to colour this clay which work better than the standard dry pigments used for in-painting. Also (and this is important) he sells in small quantities!
  • Bradshaw & Whelan specializes in out-of-print, new and used reference books on antique ceramics. They also sell the greatest glass-paper I've ever used. This has cut my studio time in half, as it cuts our fill materials quicker without disturbing or abraiding glazes, or even gilding!
  • The CeramicsWeb The SDSU CeramicsWeb is an experimental web site for ceramics. It includes a such things as databases of glaze recipes and material analyses, links to other ceramics web sites, health and safety information, and a variety of educational materials related to ceramics.
  • Fred Walker has a very informative site at Lile Logistics Services/Artline . This company specializes in the transportation of fine art, and the site has tips on packaging and shipping of valuables, advantages and disadvantages of diffrerent methods of shipping, and a variety of very good art related links.

 

China Finders and an Ounce of Prevention

 

 

© Marlene Wilson 2005. All rights reserved.