Cabinet
Making Commission Case Study

17th Century Side Table
A very important 17th Century Side Table
required extensive conservation and restoration with the
critical objective being to produce a finished piece of
work where it would be difficult to identify that any of
the restoration work had been undertaken.
The commission began with each section
of the side table being carefully dismantled, and each
component mapped, numbered and labelled. Throughout this
process considerable care was employed to ensure that the
original patina was not damaged in any way.
The entire piece was then re-assembled, using traditional
reversible animal glues. Once back together, the original
finish was cleaned very carefully and burnished with a
series of compositions. The original gilt was still intact
under a thick layer of grime, which was also burnished
with agate and sealed with a conservation wax.
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