History

Founded by master sculptor Edward Marshall Boehm and his wife Helen Boehm, The Boehm Porcelain Company has been creating fine hand sculpted and painted porcelain ceramics since 1949.

Description

Worcester Eisenbrandt, (WEI) was retained to restore seven Boehm fine porcelain sculptures within the Owner’s collection, which they own and display at their facilities. All sculptures were documented and dusted to remove any accumulated, loose particulate. Solubility tests on glazes were performed before old adhesive repairs were mildly softened with acetone and removed using wooden probes and tweezers.

A conservation-grade clay material was used to make mould impressions for replicating the missing sculpture components. Once formed, dental plaster was poured into the mould. Upon setting, replicated components were removed from the mould, swabbed with acetone to remove residues, and carved with dental tools to match the sculpture at the interfacing join site. Areas of loss were filled with dental plaster. When the fill sites had hardened and dried, an acrylic adhesive in acetone was brush applied over the surface to seal the plaster fill. Filled areas were painted to match adjacent surfaces with acrylic paints.

Given that the porcelain has a fine grain and most repairs are either structural or weight bearing, a clear, two-part epoxy adhesive was used to attach broken components of all the sculptures. An acrylic adhesive in acetone was used to adhere replicated components. The sculptures were carefully packed and transported from and to the Owner’s facility.