MEISSEN PIERCED DISH

The primary objective of this project was to restore one of a pair of Meissen pierced dishes, dating from the late 19th to early 20th century, which had sustained significant damage. The dish was fragmented into numerous pieces, some exceedingly small, posing a substantial challenge for reconstruction. The overarching goal was to restore the dish by reassembling the fragments and reinstating areas of structural and decorative loss, including the intricate pierced decoration and gilded accents.

A notable challenge encountered during the conservation process was the delicate nature of the gilding. Traditional methods of securing the shards with adhesive tapes were deemed unsuitable due to the risk of damaging the gold. Instead, a meticulous approach was adopted: the fragments were first temporarily assembled with dots of modelling wax and plasticine props, ensuring proper alignment, and then bonded using epoxy resin applied via capillary action. This technique minimised the risk of misalignment and preserved the integrity of the gilding.

Subsequent steps involved colour-filling losses in the pierced decoration with a tinted epoxy resin paste, carefully matched to the original porcelain's translucency. The filled areas were then polished to a sheen and retouched with fine lines of gold acrylic paint to replicate the original gilding. This comprehensive conservation effort successfully restored the dishes, enhancing both their structural stability and visual coherence.