Description - A hand-sculpted figure, seated and positioned forward, cradling legs and looking left. A single rose emerges from the spine of the figure into full bloom above the head. Dark green and grey acrylic paints decorate the surface of the body, which is highlighted throughout with iridescent toning. The petals of the flower are painted varying hues of pink and toned with gold/bronze iridescent paint.

Condition – The top of the flower, in proximity to the head had sustained damage, which resulted cracking, minor deformation and loss of structural material. A part of the rose petal at the rear, had broken and dislodged structural material in proximity to the break edge. Further physical damage was visible on the front petal above the head, causing delamination of paint in the general area.

What we did – We cleaned the surface with a soft bristle brush and low-suction vacuum, to remove dust and fine powder. Next, the stem armature was realigned and broken and loose material was removed. Following this, the area in and around the crack was filled and built up to recreate the areas of loss. After levelling and smoothing the area, the texture of the surface needed to be recreated. We consolidated the break areas at the back, the re-adhered the broken petal. Small areas around the break were filled before further consolidation of delaminating paint. Lastly, we in-painted the repair areas, then toned with iridescent paint.