Park Slope
Brooklyn, New York
Conservation & Restoration of Fine Art & Historic Works on Paper in New York
Featured Project:
Henri Matisse - "Buste de femme acoudée avec bracelet"
Etching, 1925 (detail)
The print was severely discolored from both light exposure and contact with acidic framing materials. It was washed in an alkaline bath to neutralize acidity and reduce discoloration and then bleached with hydrogen peroxide to eliminate residual discoloration and staining. The print was flattened between wool felts and cotton blotters. The pencil framer's mark below the signature was erased.
Featured Project:
Martin Ramirez - "Untitled"
Painting on brown paper, c. 1962
The painting had extensive brown, translucent staining caused by rubber cement originally applied to the back by the artist. This was removed with toluene and ethanol applied on the vacuum suction table. Mold on the right edge was removed using a combination of powdered eraser crumbs to remove surface particles and hydrogen peroxide applied on the vacuum suction table to remove staining. Areas of pigment loss were inpainting with watercolors.
Featured Project:
Alexander Cabanel - "The Birth of Venus"
Engraving, c.1865
The print has suffered from light exposure as well as extensive foxing (a fungal growth associated with iron content in the paper). It was washed in an alkaline bath to neutralize acidity and reduce discoloration and then bleached with hydrogen peroxide to eliminate residual discoloration and staining. The print was flattened between wool felts and cotton blotters.
Featured Project:
Robert Havell (after John James Audubon) - "Louisiana Heron"
Color lithograph, c. 1840 (detail)
In addition to being generally discolored, this print had been in a flood and suffered from multi-colored mold growth. The print was washed in an alkaline bath to neutralize acidity and reduce discoloration and then bleached overall with hydrogen peroxide to further reduce discoloration and staining. Remaining mold stains were removed with application of hydrogen peroxide on the vacuum suction table. The print was flattened between wool felts and cotton blotters.
Featured Project:
Charles Schultz - "Patty"
Pencil drawing, no date (detail)
The drawing was executed on cheap wood-pulp paper that had become acidic and discolored over time. Additionally, the Scotch tape used to attach it to an album page had yellowed and left a translucent stain in the paper. The tape and associated staining were removed with methyl ethyl ketone applied on the vacuum suction table. The drawing was washed in an alkaline bath to neutralize acidity and reduce discoloration and then bleached with hydrogen peroxide to eliminate residual discoloration. The drawing was flattened between wool felts and cotton blotters.
Featured Project:
G. W. Clarke "Ice Palace - Montreal Carnival, 1899"
Color lithograph with powdered mica, 1899
The print was badly discolored overall from light exposure as well as prolonged direct contact with the original wooden slat backing. The worst staining (the two vertical lines) was due to atmospheric pollution (primarily hydrogen sulfide) entering between the wooden slats. The print was washed in an alkaline bath to neutralize acidity and reduce discoloration and then bleached overall with hydrogen peroxide to further reduce discoloration and staining. Remaining stains were removed with application of hydrogen peroxide on the vacuum suction table. The print was flattened between wool felts and cotton blotters.
Gallery
JD Conservation, Inc. has restored works on paper by many of the world's great artists as well as important historical documents. Browse the gallery to see before and after conservation photos showing the incredible results conservation treatment can achieve.
Services
JD Conservation, Inc. uses the latest technology combined with tried and true methods to restore your artwork and historical documents. A studio equipped with stereo microscope, vacuum suction table, and 4' x 8' washing tank can accommodate any project.
Artists & Clients
For works by Audubon to Van Gogh, institutions from the Museum of Natural History to the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as galleries and private clients, have trusted JD Conservation to restore their most precious art and historical papers.
About JDC
With over 20 years of experience, JD Conservation, Inc. has the expertise to conserve your artworks and historical documents, reversing the disfiguring effects of aging and preserving them for the next generation.
Contact JDC
Interested in seeing if JD Conservation, Inc. can restore your art or historical document? Please fill out the contact form and Paper Conservator Jonathan P. Derow will contact you as soon as possible.