Ceramics

Art Conservation has the expertise to conserve and restore your ceramic objects. Ceramics is a collective name for objects made of baked clay and can be divided into 3 categories: earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. We restore various ceramic materials such as faience, majolica, terracotta, porcelain, archaeological ceramics, tiles, construction ceramics, etc. You have also come to the right place for related materials such as glass and mosaics. We work in-situ (think of construction ceramics) and in the studio (e.g. decorative ceramics such as vases, pottery, sculptures or tile pictures).

For all your questions about the restoration and conservation of ceramics, please contact us to discuss the options.

Preventive conservation includes all measures taken to protect ceramics from further decay or loss without treating the objects. In this we regard enacting the highest standards for storage, handling and packaging.

When minimal treatment appears necessary to prevent further damage or decay, we speak of active preservation. The most common treatments are the desalting of porous ceramic material and the consolidation of cracks.

Art Conservation can support you and offer tailor-made advice in the conservation of your ceramic objects.

You can contact us for a variety of treatments: 

Cleaning | Removal of old restorations, such as overpainting, bonding & retouching | Repairing scratches or cracks | Applying adhesive to shards | Filling & retouching gaps | Stabilising ceramic object on another carrier

Restoration is the direct intervention on damaged or degraded objects to improve their legibility while respecting their aesthetic, historical and physical integrity as much as possible. A suitable solution is sought in consultation with the customer. We restore for heritage institutions and private individuals and offer flexibility regarding extensive collections or objects in large format.

Documentation is of great importance. After the treatment, a final report is drawn up in which all examinations and treatments are described in detail, based on photos. This offers the customer insight into the restoration process. Openness about our work is an essential pillar within our company.

There are various options for carrying out material-technical research into ceramic objects. This research can aid in the restoration process or provide insight into the cultural-historical significance of the object.

·   Ultraviolet radiation: UV light makes the old treatments such as adhesives, additions and retouches visible.

·   Microscopy: Microscopy is used to visualise the surface structure of the material and study degradation processes.

·   Salt research (quantitative analysis): measuring the number of salts in a ceramic object using a conductivity meter to determine whether an object needs to be desalted.

Meet our experts

Conservation and Restoration of Ceramics

A selection of our work