Altarpiece update, June 26, 2016

Quoted text is from conservator Cleo Mullins

Gallery of 19 pictures taken on June 26, 2016.

1. Central portion and the wall

Central portion should be finished in the week leading up to July 3. Then the molding on the framework will be addressed by Rusty Bernado. After that the scaffolding can be taken down while he does the angel corbels.

"The blues are what is called a metameric match — they are light dependant. Every day that the light coming in through the windows is different, the blues appear to be different and go "off color." Lorraine is trying to get them to match when the light is at mid-day with the sun out. She also wants to even up some of the browns and to strengthen some areas of the golden tracery. Please, if you see other areas that you’d like refined, let Lorraine know. We want you to be pleased with the results. "

2. Flowers on the Pinnacles 

The restoration is back.

See the separate story from June 11 on the evolution of this feature.

3. Tablets

"For the last couple of weeks, I have been working on cleaning the panels at the studio. There are two layers of varnish on the surface interlayered with sooty grime. It’s slow going since I have to clean around each letter and then go back with a different solvent in order to remove the varnish off the letters, which are more fragile. Cleaning is making a very nice difference, though, and I hope to be able to send you a photo of two panels, one cleaned and one not, this week. Number 4 is cleaned, I’ve coated the reverse to help seal the wood, and it is clamped and glued-up to take care of the splits caused by the big nails that held it to the wall. I’m working on cleaning the second panel now."

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