federal mirror

Federal Mirror, Before Treatment (Recto)

This gilded federal mirror had fallen off a client's wall and had broken into several fragments. Additionally, the gilding and bole were flaking off in some areas and two of the pearls set around the mirror's frame were missing.

Federal Mirror, Before Treatment (Verso)

New hanging hardware needed to be installed. The decorative apron below the mirror was also loose and misaligned.

Federal Mirror, During Treatment

The eagle finial was re-adhered to the rest of the mirror using hide glue, and left to set in place with clamps.

Federal Mirror, During Treatment

Losses were filled with an acrylic spackling compound and in-painted with acrylic paint to match the surrounding gilding.

Federal Mirror, During Treatment

The missing pearls were recreated using a two-part wood epoxy putty and were in-painted with acrylics to match the extant pearls.

Treatment Diagram

Next, the lower decorative elements were addressed. The reeded apron below the main circular frame of the mirror was loose and misaligned, and had previously been held in place by a wooden strip nailed to the frame. This wooden support had broken off and fragmented into three pieces. The fragments of the strip were rejoined using B-72 in acetone, then reinforced with a sheet of fiberglass netting impregnated with epoxy. A strip of Volara foam was inserted between the reeded apron and the main frame to account for the misalignment. The whole assembly was then screwed into the mirror.

Federal Mirror, During Treatment

After the reeded apron was secured, fragments that had chipped off during its fall were adhered back into place. In some areas, epoxy putty or acrylic spackling compound was needed to build up lost areas. These were in-painted with acrylics to match surrounding gilding.

Federal Mirror, After Treatment (Recto)

Federal Mirror, After Treatment (Verso)

Old hanging hardware was removed and new D-rings were installed.

The treatment of this federal gilt mirror was a group project I completed with two of my classmates in the Artifacts treatment stream at Queen's University. Parts of its ornamentation had been broken and fragmented during a fall, and the intact parts of the mirror were structurally unsound. The goals of this treatment were to rejoin all fragments, stabilize loose areas, consolidate flaking layers, fill and in-paint losses, and reconstruct missing pieces,

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