Toroazul Painting and Fine Arts

José Grave de Peralta

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A r t   R e s t o r a t i o n

Plaster cast statue of Francis I of France (1494-1547) : After and before restoration

Two years ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, donated nineteen plaster casts to the University of Miami School of Architecture. The museum has donated casts from its collection to several other U.S. universities and to the Institute of Classical Architecture/Classical America. In January 2006, I was asked to bring the casts back to life, to make them "legible" and fit for use in the school's drawing and design studios. Plaster casts of historical sculptures and building fragments figured prominently in the study of art and architecture well into the 20th century. After decades in storage, these valuable replicas came to us with varying degrees of distress and fragmentation. Restoration is a multifaceted activity, requiring as much knowledge of cleaning agents and methods as that of structural principles. The restorer needs the draughtsman’s eye for line and composition as well as a keen sense of sequence and timing in the application of materials. This is appropriate. In the 19th century, the level of craftsmanship involved in the making of such copies produced statues and friezes that rivaled the original artwork in their finish and lifelike appearance.

A thick coat of black dirt and grease, and numerous scratch marks completely obscured the original gold leaf lamination finish of this plaster cast lantern. The restoration process involved slow and meticulous cleaning with Q-Tips and slightly humid paper towel swabs. Several areas then were laminated, using 23Kt gold leaf.

This handsome decorative Islamic frieze  -- another of the  plaster casts restored in this project -- was severely scratched and chipped or showed irregular crusts of dark patina. Its dimensions are 28"  x  51"  x  2.25" .

The Jorge M. Perez ArchitecturalCenter of the University of Miami, where the exhibit of the plaster cast collection took place on October 24, 2006.  READ MORE.

A partial view of The Jorge M. Perez ArchitecturalCenter GALLERY of the University of Miami, where the exhibit of the plaster cast collection took place on October 24, 2006.

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      El Nuevo Miami Herald