The Bourlet crafts team restore frames, paintings and works on paper. Restoration and conservation is a very skilled and sensitive process. It must be carried out by people with experience, talent, plus a knowledgeable and sympathetic eye. The golden rule for restorers, whether frames or pictures, is to keep as much of the original work as intact as possible.

Frames are constructed in different woods and finished in an infinite variety of golds. A good restorer will know how to match original gilding by manipulating and toning the gold. Our clients cannot tell what has been restored and what is new. Therefore Bourlet keeps ten different grades of gold and a variety of woods to match original constructions and gilding.

Our restorers need to take the following into consideration:

• Has an ornamental frame been carved or done in plaster?
• Establish nationality of the frame. This will help determine colour of original bole.
• Is the original gesso on the frame stable enough for new gold?
• When a frame has been painted over in either bronze paint or decorators paint, tests need to be carried out to see if we can strip off the additions without damaging the original gold underneath. It is amazing how often we are able to achieve this.

before

after

Under restoration also view our sections on paintings and works on paper.