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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Laurence Roman, post: 1353570, member: 12895&quot;]In case anyone is interested, here are pictures of the Erté embossed serigraph, which I mentioned in my earlier post, after having been crammed by careless shippers into a poster-roll. The work was deemed by a restorer to be unsalvageable. Fortunately, it was insured, but such a shame to have come to this sad end after having survived in pristine condition for 40 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]220940[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]220941[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are before and after photographs of a disastrously restored Calder lithograph. I wanted to have some minor matte-burn removed. It was removed, but whatever chemical process was used in the operation turned all of Calder&#039;s signature cobalt blue, the horrible teal/turquoise colour in the second image. Needless to say, the lithograph was irreversibly ruined. Make sure any restorers you employ have Public Liability Insurance, BEFORE they carry out any work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Calder before restoration:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]220944[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>And afterwards. Note the disastrously altered blue:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]220945[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>On a happier note, here are before and after images of a 1927 Picasso etching (L&#039;atelier), which cleaned up an absolute treat:</p><p><br /></p><p>Before cleaning:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]220952[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>And afterwards[ATTACH=full]220953[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The Pros, I trust, speak for themselves.</p><p>The Cons:</p><p>The restoration was expensive, costing, as it did, almost as much as the picture itself,</p><p>The work will never be perfect; some of the deepest creasing remains slightly discernible,</p><p>The sheet will always remain slightly cockled and will never again lie completely flat,</p><p>Apparently Picasso had the first 20 impressions of all his early etchings printed on chine-collé paper. This achieves the exquisite delicacy of this particular impression, but the delicacy of the china paper renders the recto side of the print very vulnerable to scuffing and skinning. Note, in the top border, the skinning above the easel. This damage is permanent and, as the purchaser, I had to weigh up, whether this irreparable imperfection was something with which I could make my peace. It is so far from the image that I felt I could live with it. 11 years after having bought the work, I&#039;m glad I compromised,</p><p>The signature and numerator are very unhelpfully positioned. Matting the sheet proportionally, and in such a way as to cover the imperfections in the border, is impossible if the signature and numerator are to be left visible.</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope that was of interest.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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