When Sarah Knight’s grandmother moved into a nursing home recently, she gave Sarah a cherished family heirloom: a sampler stitched by Sarah’s great-great grandmother in Ireland in 1867. Knight could see that the piece needed reframing because the glass in the frame was cloudy and there were water stains on the backing board.
On a needlepoint store owner’s recommendation, the Oak Park resident took the heirloom to Armand Lee & Co., a Chicago-based specialist in conservation framing. Kyle Bretland, Armand Lee’s sales manager, recommended first sending the sampler to a textile conservator.
Knight will pay about $650 just for the conservator’s work, analyzing the piece and treating it to arrest any damage. Extra care and expense will be taken in the framing as well. She said all the attention is worth it.
“I come from a modest background,” said Knight. “This is the most important thing I’ll ever have. I’m told that, at auction, samplers are getting thousands of dollars, which is thrilling.”
A key factor in the value of artwork, antiques and collectibles is condition. To ensure your collectible retains its value, keep its condition as close to original as possible.
Conservators can help save art and antiques damaged by fire or other disaster, but also work to preserve rare or expensive pieces in museums or private collections.
Knight learned from her conservator that the glass in the frame was cloudy because acidic materials were leaching onto the glass in a chemical reaction called outgassing.
“The old acidic backing boards were causing the outgassing and there was no place for it to go except the front of the glass,” Bretland said. “The conservator is washing it so the piece can be stabilized. The washing will neutralize the pH balance.”
Once the sampler comes back from the conservator, it will be framed in conservation-quality materials. The sampler will be loosely stitched onto unbleached linen, which then will be wrapped around acid-free foamboard. The glass will block 98 percent of harmful ultraviolet rays.
If properly cared for and displayed, the sampler can be passed down for several more generations.
If you think you don’t have anything of value, consider that today’s poster could be tomorrow’s priceless artwork, said Norman Olson, president of Armand Lee. “Remember, Toulouse-Lautrec made posters,” he said. “Also, movie posters from the 1930s are quite valuable today.”
How do you best care for your collectibles? “Almost everything is going to be better preserved in moderate conditions,” said Frank Zuccari, director of conservation at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Avoid storing valuable objects in damp basements or hot, dry attics. Avoid displaying artwork in very strong light. If it’s physically delicate, display it properly so it’s not likely to get bumped.”
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works also counts some additional threats: air pollution and pests such as moths. Indoor air pollutants include smoke, dust, paints, stains, cleaning fluids and some synthetic materials, used in carpeting or insulation, that give off fumes.
The institute suggests cleaning the filters in heating and air-conditioning units regularly. In addition, avoid cleaning collectibles with spray polishes, commercial cleaners or products containing silicone.
For routine dusting, the institute recommends using slightly damp cotton cloths, magnetic wiping cloths or soft natural-bristle brushes. And while you’re dusting, check for insect damage. If you detect damage from pests on your textiles, the institute recommends sealing the piece in a plastic bag and putting it in the freezer until you can get the piece to a textile conservator.
Armand Lee’s Olson has other tips for protecting your artwork. Make sure you use conservation framing for valuable works such as original-run posters, limited-edition prints, etchings and fine photography. There are definite don’ts when dealing with these pieces. “Avoid any invasion of the arwork,” Olson said. “Never cut the margins off. Never glue it down on a board.”
The process used to preserve the piece is to “archivally hinge” it onto a Japanese paper, he said. The hinges are attached to the piece using rice or wheat paste, which is water based and acid free. The new paper is used to attach the piece to an acid-free backing board. The theory is, should the piece be “traumatized,” the Japanese paper will tear but not the original artwork, Olson said.
In addition to the acid-free materials, an absolute must is museum glass. Olson estimates that if conventional materials (backboard, filler, mat and glass) cost $75, conservation materials for the same artwork could easily cost $150.
“When framing artwork, never let the glass touch the art,” he said. “Even though you can’t see it, moisture from the air will condense on the inside of the glass.”
Once framed, never hang the piece on an outside wall. When it’s very cold outside, the temperature of the wall will drop and one side of the painting will be exposed to cold, while the front is bathed in warm air from the room. Again, this could cause moisture problems for the piece, he said.
Don’t place valuable objects over a fireplace or near a heat source, Olson advised. The temperature of the wall as well as the soot or ash from the fireplace is harmful to the artwork.
If you have a valuable piece which is damaged by neglect, accident, moisture or even fire, a conservator can still repair the piece. But any repairs made must be well documented and reversible, Zuccari said.
“Objects are almost never beyond repair,” Zuccari said. “If a figurine is broken, the important thing is to save all the pieces you can find. But it will never be the same in terms of condition or value.
“When we treat a painting that has damage in its paint liner, we would inpaint that loss to make it cosmetically pleasing,” he said. “If we’re working on an oil painting, for instance, we wouldn’t use oil paint. We’d use synthetic paint which is chemically different and is reversible.”
Any treatment that is done must be documented, including photos of the piece before, during and after the work, he said. A written report is also done and should always stay with the piece.
Choosing a conservator can be intimidating, but there is one caveat: Conservators usually specialize in one area, such as textiles or paintings or works on paper, said Barry Bauman of the Chicago Conservation Center.
“You should run if someone says he does everything,” says Bauman. “They don’t. They do everything poorly.”
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works has a free booklet that suggests which questions to ask potential conservators and what to expect from them. In addition, if you describe the object that requires the care of a conservator, the institute can send you a list of member specialists in your area. They do not make recommendations. To obtain the booklet and list of conservators, call 202-452-9545 or send an e-mail request to info@aic-faic.org.
