A 19th century pastel portrait which had suffered from
a unstable environment and broken frame seals
resulting in cobwebs and dust.
Before treatment
After treatment, the pastel was re-fited
into the restored frame and sealed to
prevent dust and debris from entering.
During
treatment,
after
removing
the frame
the reverse
is cleaned.
During treatment removing the pastel from an
acidic backing board.
The Pastel was relined and flattened on a
Karribari board and is here being removed from
the Karibari before re fitting into the original
frame.
An 18th Century Pastel Portrait
During treatment removing dust &
dead insects from the pastel with a
vacuum aspirator.
Detail showing
insects on the pastel
portrait
Ensuring a good space is provided inside the
frame so that the pastel is kept well away from
the glazing.
After treatment the pastel portrait is
securely protected within its original
frame.
A false margin used to flatten the work is also used
to mount the pastel to a new archival backing.
Final checks of treated artwork before
completion of treatment prior to
mounting & framing.
Cobwebs on the back of the pastel
which occured due to broken frame
seals.
Removing the pastel from the acidic backing
paper.
Pastel is an art medium composed of pure powdered pigments. Dry pastels are soft and velvety.
By their nature they have little binder and are very fragile, as the pastel is loosely bound to the
paper support. They are vulnerable to abrasion and lose if their surface is not protected. Their
ideal protection is to be framed. The frame seals should be secure to prevent dust and debris
from entering.
Part of the re framing is to sealing the
artwork within the frame in a package.
This is a detailed shot of a corner
showing a protective foil being wrapped
around the edge of the package, followed
by aluminium tape to double seal the
edges.
