Wood Carving Restoration to Match Patina and Hand of Original Sculptor

CARVING RESTORATION WORK

Sculptures can develop problems over time from aging or damages sustained from various causes. Wood shrinks from changes in humidity, causing stress cracking from the differential between tangential and radial shrinkage rates.

Metal Sculpture armatures are typically steel, which rusts and different metals suffer from galvanic corrosion, or from chemical interactions with the environment or inappropriate use of cleaning agents damaging the patina. See http://www.oleklejbzon.com/Iron_Door_Ornamental/ metal_furniture_restoration.htm for discussion of metal patina preservation and metal repair and restoration issues applicable to metal sculpture.

Physical repairs to wood typically consist of Dutchman inlays into splits, if appropriate, or disassembly and rebuilding joinery to compensate for shrinkage of joints. Very similar to problems with furniture. Paint, gesso underlying water gilding, and clear finishes suffer from the effects of wood shrinkage. The size of a wood surface can shrink significantly over the years, and continues for centuries. Other finishes glued to solid wood are stressed by not only long-term shrinkage, but seasonal and weather related changes in humidity. The stresses cause the separation of glued elements, or delaminating or flaking off of finishes. Mechanical damages can result in the loss of parts which can be re-carved and inlaid into the sculpture. It is especially important to match the "hand" of the original sculptor or artist, using the same size gouges and technique of carving, which can vary widely. Few sculptors possess this skill to match the hand of another carver, or even the ability to match the gross shapes accurately. Matching the appearance of lips, hands, feet, and eyes is a good test of this ability.

CHURCH PEW END REPLACEMENT MATCHING CA. 1905 PEWS

Initial carving of solid oak blank	Sketch made prior to carving to layout work








VANDERBILT BAR DETAILS






MODERN SCULPTURE LOVESEAT

Laying up the wood prior to carving	Roughing in the shape, hand-carved








Can Opener - Pipe Wrench - Detail of 5' Pig Serving platter














Sculpture Restoration Gallery
Italian Baroque Bed Vanderbilt Bar



Zoe Coombes Sculpture