Restoration of Panel "Number 3"

October 2019: The restoration work on the Theodora panels continues. This panel labelled 'number three' requires a great deal of thought to successfully blend conservation and restoration together. Not only are there sections of the veneer missing, the bottom of the panel is broken and the sub-structure of the panel has totally de-laminated. This requires reconstructing before any other work can commence.

After cleaning off all the dirt and grime the craftsman can evaluate what timbers are required to restore this beautiful panel back to a more acceptable condition.

All loose pieces of veneer are carefully re-glued back into position using animal glue which was used when the panel was originally created

Once this work has been completed its then time to select suitable pieces of veneer from Wheathills vast stocks. These are then cut into shape before being glued into position.

Whole sections of this panel were created as the original was so badly water damaged with black tannic acid reaction that these areas were taken out and replaced with new. The new sections were colour blended to the surrounding shades.

Once all the work was completed, pigments and polishes were mixed to create a finish to complement the aging process. Once the colour matching was complete a French polish based fire retardant was applied by hand over many hours to achieve a traditional French polish appearance.