Handle with care

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared Janurary 11, 2007 in The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

Too much cleaning and polishing could harm your precious heirlooms.

That was the advice from Winterthur Museum conservators and graduate students at a recent Conservation Clinic.

"Please do not clean your own paintings. lt’s the trickiest thing we do, and it’s irreversible," said Joyce Hill Stoner, professor and consultant with the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation.

Stoner, other Winterthur conservators and eight graduate students took part in theclinic. Each had an area of expertise - books, furniture, objects, paintings, paper and textiles. Participants were told how to care for their possessions and given references to area appraisers and restorers.

Conservator Bruno Pouliot said the biggest mistake people make is to "overpolish metals and overclean ceramics." Excessive polishing of silver lifts the metal from the surface, while too much cleaning of ceramics diminishes the original finish, Pouliot noted. People also try to touch up the paint on ceramics.

"We see it all the time — completely overpainted," Pouliot added.

Pouliot examined a large Asian urn which he suspected was overpainted.

"Someone went over it with a blue glaze — a very sloppily applied blue glaze - but really a great 19th-century piece," he said.

Mary Ellen Kelly of Brandywine Hundred bought the urn at an estate auction in Lewes. Pouliot recommended she research it and consult an appraiser for its value.

Kelly was pleased.

"The clinic was wonderful," she said. "l was just so excited to be there. What a grand service to give people."

Antique dealers Donna and David Kleitz of Bellefonte brought a Civil War photograph. The photo was on milk glass and showed signs that the image was lifting, revealing the white glass underneath. The subject was 2nd Lt. Joseph Harris, a Confederate soldier who fought with the Army of Northern Virginia commanded by Gen. Robert E. Lee. Conservator Betty Fiske gave the couple the names of local photo conservators.

Stoner and a team of grad students examined three oil paintings under ultraviolet light to see if they were repaired and overpainted. The process also identified the varnishes used and the pigment colors, said student Amber Kerr-Allison. The paintings belonged to Julianne Roe of Havertown, Pa. Most old paintings are repainted every generation, which isn’t a bad thing, if properly done, Stoner noted.

Many people throw away a painting simply because of a tear; while a tear can be corrected, Stoner added. Removing dirt from a painting is trickier and best left to an expert.

"We look at a tiny piece — a pin-prick-size sample — under a microscope," before cleaning it, Stoner said.

Winterthur conservators have a waiting list of paintings to be restored. They charge $90 an hour for the service. A typical restoration costs from $1,500 to $3,000 and takes three or more months, Stoner said.

It’s important to maintain a proper environment for paintings. Smoke and nicotine can cause major damage. "I’ve treated paintings for an Italian restaurant where the paintings smelled like oregano," Stoner noted.

Jean Andrews of Brandywine Hundred brought four old books that had belonged to her father Two were 17th—century books.

"They’re really quite nice," said conservator Lois Olcott Price. One of the books, however showed signs of mouse damage. Andrews wanted advice on preserving the books. Price suggested she have a preservation photocopy made of the most-damaged book and keep the book inside a box. Afterward Andrews said, "I learned a lot of things I didn’t even ask about."

Sandra Mulrooney of Wilmington sought restoration advice on three paintings, two by artist Robert Shaw.

"The last time I had anything done [to a large watercolor] was 1987," said Mulrooney "Nowadays, we have better materials, so it might be a good idea [to reframe it]," said grad student Jessica Moody However, Fiske recommended Mulrooney replace only the backing with acid-free board. She also suggested she keep the painting in low light to prevent fading.

A second painting — a Shaw etching — was in poorer condition with fading and discoloration.

“OK, what do you recommend for this? This is your final exam," Mulrooney joked as she placed the framed etching on the table. “You definitely want to take this to a framing place," said student Courtney Shimoda.

"People keep trying to steal it," Peggy Sacher said of her unusual oak chair, one of three she inherited from her father—in—law. Conservator Mike Podmanczky described the first chair as a Renaissance revival factory—made chair with lions’ heads on the arms. Podmanczky suggested a local furniture restorer to reglue and tighten the chairs.

A Greenville couple who asked not to be identified brought a pair of ceramic lions. "To me, I just like their look," said the woman of the pieces she found in an antiques shop. Pouliot said he thought the pair was English and probably made in the 20th century.

"They’re really nice," he said. He recommended never putting them in water as their glued-on eyes could fall out. Instead, he suggested a makeup brush and damp cloth for cleaning.

FYI

The Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation is one of only four such graduate programs in the country.

The three-year master of science curriculum was founded in 1974. While Winterthur receives about 700 applicants a year, it accepts only 10.

Graduates have helped preserve such cultural properties as the Declaration of Independence, Dead Sea Scrolls, Star-Spangled Banner, old masters' and contemporary artists' paintings, Babe Ruth's baseball contract, Elvis Presley's gold records and the architectural interiors of Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg and the White House.