To successfully and seamlessly restore a frame, you need to have an understanding of how the frame was constructed, the materials used such as the timber and composition materials, and what type of gilding and finishing techniques were applied. Unfortunately many frames have been 'restored' without this basic knowledge, and as a result the repairs are short-lived, conspicuous and often do more damage than good.

This was one of those frames; a beautiful 19th century water gilded oval frame with top and bottom ornate composition crests. The oval was largely intact and undamaged, but it was clear that the crests had suffered breakage and had been clumsily glued back together (with shiny globs of glue still visible). The 'restored' section of frame had been painted and was clearly not the original finish.

As I am of the firm belief that as much of the original finish be maintained as possible, the main oval was masked off so that I could work on the crests on their own. Both crests were stripped back of all previous finishes including the original gilding, and the large cracks and missing sections were filled and re-carved.

Gesso was then applied to the frame (3 layers in this case), and then carefully sanded ready for bole. First a yellow bole or gilders clay is applied, and then a red on the tips of the decoration. The bole can be seen underneath the gild and enhances the colour. The gild is often rubbed away or distressed to expose the bole underneath.

After the bole had dried, the frame was polished to remove any raised grains or irregularities in the finish, providing as smooth a surface to gild as possible. The tips of the frame were then water gilded, burnished and sealed with shellac in preparation to oil gild the receding areas of ornamentation.

After completing the gild, the frame was treated with a stained shellac to match the yellowing of the aged original gild, and toned to match in with the original finish.

I love working on jobs like this… The processes involved and the transformation at the end of those processes is extremely satisfying. It is rewarding knowing that you have brought the beauty, history and integrity of the original crafter back.

The completed frame now looks much as it would have when first crafted.