Brunswick Clock in Progress

The work begins with dissassembly, removal of paint. Loose gesso was consolidated or removed as appropriate.

 

Carcass has been dissasembled for cleaning and paint removal. Ball feet and gilded metal foliage band around circular platform have been removed. The feet will be re-gessoed and gilded. When earlier repairs were performed, one urn based was nailed in. This may have either been to repair a break in the base, or may have caused the break by rust and expansion. Bird ornament on right hand side was attached using an unidentifiable, possibly synthetic material. As work is completed, any separate components will be re-attached using pegs only, if at all possible, in order to make future removal easier.

 

 

After removing overpaint, it shows that a small section of the platform edging is a replacement piece.

 

The gesso on the body of the twin urns was so far gone that it was replaced. A piece had been broken off at some point, and it also appears that the foliage/fruit was attached with an unknown material (probably synthetic). Since this side of urn faces rear, I would not bother with a replacement of the missing section.

 

 

 

The crest with some gesso replacment. Leaf edges at top right will be replicated with new material. After removal of overpaint on the crest and foliate tops of urns, it was apparent that the intent was to have contrast between bright, burnished gilding and "antique bronze"

   

With overpaint removed, the replacement the neck/head of one bird is more apparent. The detailing of these bird bodies was obscured by the later overpaint and repair.

   
 
   

The two scraped areas on each of the bird bodies leads me to believe that they may have been winged at one time.

Phase 2

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Last Update: May 21, 2007