Did you know we regularly perform restorations of sculpture? We can restore your antique Caproni plaster cast, your bronze heirloom, your marble figure, and more! We think it’s important to repair broken or weathered sculptures not only in order to stabilize them, but so they can be fully enjoyed again!
One of our latest projects consisted of restoring an antique Caproni plaster cast held in the Permanent Collection at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. Professor Leah Niederstadt, the collection’s curator, contacted us when a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was found badly damaged in Wheaton’s Wallace Library.
The 27-inch-high bust is a copy of an original 19th century sculpture created by the German artist Hugo Hagen. (The Caproni Collection currently offers for sale a fragment of this bust.) Hagen based his bust from a life-mask of Beethoven that was created by Franz Klein in 1812. Ludwig van Beethoven was 42 years old at the time.
Once Niederstadt delivered the bust to our studio in Woburn, we assessed the damage and the steps that would need to be taken to restore it. Among other areas of damage, the greatest structural harm occurred to sections of the proper right eye and forehead and to the proper right shoulder. Poor Beethoven!
After discussing the proposed treatment with Niederstadt, we got to work. First, we cleaned the broken cast. Next, we reattached the chips and losses that had been collected when the damaged bust was discovered. Remaining areas of loss, including a large section composed of part of the right eye and the forehead directly above, were recreated by referencing the Caproni Collection’s antique model. We also reinforced the stability of the cast by adhering fiberglass cloth to the reverse side.
Given the extent of the repairs involved, Niederstadt agreed that we should try to recreate the sculpture’s patina. Accordingly, after the structural restoration was complete, we focused on ensuring that the patina of the recreated portions matched the rest of the bust. The bust of Beethoven now appears as good as new.
Professor Niederstadt received our treatment report, complete with photos, for the Permanent Collection’s files and brought the beautiful plaster cast back to Wheaton College, where it will once again be displayed on campus, once a suitable – and safer – location is identified!
If you have a restoration project, let us know! Stay tuned to our newsletter and blog because we’ll feature more restorations in the future!
Warm regards,
Robert and Kayla
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