Current Conservation Treatment — c. 1720 Italian Tortoiseshell Mirror Frames

I’m currently working on the first of a pair of matching 5-1/2 foot tall mirrors which have suffered some pretty extensive delamination of the tortoiseshell veneer.

One of the most critical issues for artifacts like this is to get them safely from Point A (the client’s home) to Point B (my studio).  For large planar artifacts like this I always construct a litter to which the artifact will be lashed so 1) I don’t have to handle the big clumsy thing any more than necessary, and 2) provide a safe housing for the artifact in transit.

My long time woodworking pal Tom was able to help me get the mirror down off the wall and into the litter easily.  The litter had clean foam pad/slats onto which the mirror was laid, and once in place blocking was glued to the slats to lock the mirror in place.

Once the blocks were set (I used hot melt glue) I added loose battens to the top of the mirror, directly in line with the slats underneath it.  This allowed for gentle restraints without adding any undue stress to the 300-year old engraved glass.

Using some upholstery webbing I had, I draped it over the battens and screwed it to the frame of the litter, snug but not tight.

One the packing was complete, we went straight out the front door and into the rear of the van  and a half hour later it was resting comfortably in my basement studio at my daughter’s house.

Stat tuned.