Conservation intervention on this Regency period commode, characterized by its crossbow shape, its rosewood veneer, gilt bronze fittings, resting on an oak and resinous structure.
Our mission was to stabilize the veneered surfaces by injecting protein-based adhesive. Veneer gaps were filled with grafts of new rosewood veneer, previously sawn, scraped, and sanded. These grafts were then French polished, naturally oxidized with ultraviolet light, and then applied to the appropriate thickness as a backing before being glued in place with hot glue.
The shellac finish was dry cleaned using synthetic sponges. Color restoration was carried out and protected with a varnish. Urea-aldehyde. The bronzes were dusted and degreased using aliphatic hydrocarbons, without prior disassembly. Finally, a light microcrystalline wax was applied to harmonize the overall finish across the entire piece of furniture.
Last week, we presented a Regency commode on which we applied a wax polish finish. The ungilded bronzes were colored according to the recipe of Jean Félix Watin.Here are the two chests of drawers shown side by side. On the right, the finish is polished wax with restored, ungilded bronze mounts. On the left, the chest of drawers is finished in shellac varnish with gilded bronze mounts.
