ne
Art
Piece of History: One of the many restoration projects in the works is this
Ming Dynasty wall painting fragment.
gilding and water gilding. She surmises it is likely from Eastern Europe, as it has influences of the French frame style. "It
is quite unique," she notes.
Describing her methodical work, Meyers says, "It's
interesting because the field hasn't changed in hundreds of
years—the conservation field has, but gilding hasn't. When
you are gilding, you are using the same recipes people have
used for hundreds of years, back to the Renaissance, back to
the Egyptians, so your hands are really in history."
It seems all of Oliver Brothers' staff agrees: Apprenticeships are the best means by which to learn the art and
science of restoration work. "You can't really learn it from
books," says Meyers. "It's hand skills."
"It's not theory," concurs Greg. "You learn it in the
studio." He explains, "There are two veins in the field—the
artistic, hands-on vein and the more theoretical, research
vein. We are a little more biased towards hands-on [work].
Most of us are artists."
"But," adds Meyers, "they need each other. We need those
scientists to teach us better ways to do things, and the scientists need us to do the projects. It's [about] balance." It's also
about quality, accuracy, and tradition—the Oliver Brothers'
n
bedrock. oliverbrothersonline.com ●
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