Over time, atmospheric dust, smoke, and grime dull the clarity of your artwork. When works feature sensitive, powdery media, such as pastels, charcoal, or delicate gouache, ordinary cleaning carries significant risk. Our studio employs surface cleaning techniques like soft, inert sponge media to lift embedded soiling with precision, safely brightening the work while guaranteeing vulnerable pigments remain entirely untouched.
Surface Cleaning
Paper conservation
Creases, distortions, and flaking paint compromise both the stability and aesthetic integrity of an artwork. To treat this piece, we used controlled, gradual humidification to gently relax distorted paper fibers regaining planarity without stressing the support. Simultaneously, unstable, lifting pigments were secured using a reversible, conservation-grade consolidant selected specifically to dry completely matte. This ensures the delicate paint layer is firmly anchored while preserving the soft, natural finish of the original medium.
Structural Treatments & Consolidation
Tears running through delicate gilded areas present a significant conservation challenge: the structural break must be mended without disturbing the fragile, reflective gold leaf. Using micro-alignment techniques and conservation-grade, fully reversible adhesives, we reunited and stabilized the torn fibers. The repair restores the physical integrity and tensile strength of the paper while leaving the surrounding gilding completely untouched and unclouded.
Torn paper
Not every mark on an artwork is a damage. Cleaning a piece without a rigorous material assessment risks removing original elements of the artist's technique. Using high-magnification microscopy and material analysis, we differentiate between secondary surface accretions and deliberate, historical media. By consulting closely with publications, curators, and collectors, we ensure that unexpected textures, droplets, or studio marks belonging to the original creative process are identified, understood, and preserved intact.