blackened pear tree

Napoleon III wall shelf

Mathieu Vathrosewood, conservation, wall shelf, graft, Napoleon III, Uncategorized, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century
Ebénisterie Mathieu VATH

Restoration of a Napoleon III period wall shelf veneered in blackened pearwood, rosewood, amaranth, amboyna burl, and marquetry with a music theme. Underneath the dust, aside from small losses in the blackened pearwood and rosewood, and slight dehydration, there was nothing too serious. A few veneer grafts, a vacuum-sealed glue application, a thorough cleaning, a coat of clear French polish, and voilà! All this without using sandpaper. Except for lightly sanding the varnish […]

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Secretary Napoleon III

Mathieu VathBronzes, Vacuum bonding, Brass, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, restoration, furniture restoration, secretary
Ebénisterie Mathieu VATH

On the restoration side, there wasn't much to do: the brass fittings were reattached with fish glue and by infiltration, then stripped and varnished. The most difficult part of this type of furniture is the black stain. Over time, pear wood darkens, loses its color, and turns gray. It then needs to be stained, without, of course, obscuring the brass. To do this, I fill and polish the piece until the brass becomes a true mirror. Then, I apply a hot logwood stain, and then […]

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Louis XIII Cabinet

Mathieu Vathviolet wood, Solid Wood, Cabinet, Vacuum bonding, Louis XIII, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration
Ebénisterie Mathieu VATH

A look back at a fascinating restoration project (at least for me). So fascinating, in fact, that I forgot to take photos at the beginning! This cabinet dates from the 17th century. Its upper section has two drawers in the cornice and two doors. The base features two drawers in the frieze, supported by eight turned feet, and a top on ball feet. Inside, there are twelve drawers and two doors, which conceal a theater and eleven more drawers. The feet and moldings are made of solid pear wood. The rest of the […]

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