Upholstery
material is rarely original in items from the
18th century or earlier, unless the upholstery is
an old tapestry. If the material is sturdy
enough to use when the object is reupholstered,
and of value, reweaving or repairing is possible
and should be done. In pieces upholstered in
what appears to be frail fabric, it is usually
recommended, if the object must be repaired, that
the older upholstery is removed and placed in a
separate display, if valuable, and a new
reproduction fabric is utilized.
Upholstered objects from the
mid-19th century may have all or part of their
original innards intact. Pieces from the
first half of the 19th century or older often
have second or third generation innards. In
all cases, upholstery conservation is a
combination of preservation, conservation, and
restoration, because new materials are added to
old for a variety of reasons.
Upholstered objects have created a
controversy in recent years with the advent of
various synthetic or non-historically authentic inserts,
such as Ethafoam®, utilized in place of retying and/or
duplicating of original innards. MPFC does not
generally advocate the use of these inserts, and has written a persuasive
argument (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) towards preservation of innards, and
duplication or restoration of innards.
Frames
are generally intact, with various possible
internal problems, from bug infestations to
fractures or breaks. These repairs can be
made using techniques from the appropriate time
period, or, in rare cases, new pieces must be
worked to replace completely disintegrated parts
of the frame. Appropriately aged wood should be utilized with techniques
from the time period in duplicating all parts. Finishes should be repaired,
and duplicated in age appropriate techniques on
newly formed parts.
Modern pieces are beginning to
need care, and it is recommended that they be done
correctly to ensure their historical integrity and
monetary value.
For samples of projects, visit our pages which follow:
.jpg)
_small.jpg)