Reconstruction of lost fragments of painting frames
Reconstruction of lost fragments of painting frames
Three original 17th-century painting frames of portraits by Ferdinand Bol and Jan Mijtens had to be restored. They were so-called trophy frames. The frame restorers approached me to reconstruct the lost parts.
Historical photographs and old pictures
For the reconstruction, I used historical photos and old images and made drawings based on the frames themselves.
The fragile frames were processed on site
The frames were not allowed to be moved, so I worked on site. To cause as little damage to the frames as possible, I first applied pieces of balsa wood (very soft wood) to fracture surfaces, then pieces of basswood and cut them into shapes along the lines of the surrounding carving.
Result
One of three restored frames.
Client: The Mauritshuis in The Hague
Assignment: reconstruction of lost fragments as part of the restoration of original painting frames from the 17th century.
Year: 2014
Details: Execution on location