Jackie,

You have the right instincts about this situation in exercising caution.

I would urge the owner to not consider aggressively "cleaning" this
painted furniture until they are examined by a knowledgable furniture
conservator. It is best to be conservative in approaching cleaning
because both the historic and monetary value of furniture can be
dramtically impacted by improper cleaning - I always like to point out
the Antiques Roadshow instance of the 18th century cherry high boy
that a woman's husband had stripped and refinished to "get rid of the
black stuff", well, that "black stuff" was the original finished that
was obliterated - and the specilaist appraiser on the roadshow told
her that the value had dropped from $250,000 to $25,000.

I think that drives the issue home with most collectors.

What is driving this desire to "clean" this painted furniture? Are
they going on exhibit? Or is it just a desire to make them look
prettier in the home?

Is the cleaning the responisiblity of the owner or your institution?

Most conservators will offer consulting and also perform examinations
and offer advice for a fairly reasonable fee. That way you would at
least have an educated opinion as to what you could do and what a
conservator should do in regards to this.

I am sure that my colleague, Marc Williams, who is one of the senior
furniture and wood artifact conservartors in the USA will have more
specific thoughts to offer on this.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, California




On 6/29/07, Jackie Killian <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Can anyone recommend a course of treatment for 1830s stenciled furniture?
> These are pieces in a private collection and the owner would like to "clean"
> them and then asked about perhaps using a wax on them to seal the surface.
> Some of the furniture exhibits actively cracked and possibly loose paint on
> the surface. On these pieces I don't feel comfortable doing anything other
> than dry dusting, let alone subjecting them to the vigor needed to wax them
> as well.
>
> Other pieces, however, are in much better condition. I am afraid to use
> anything without knowing what the composition of the paint is and I'm not
> sure of what the least reactant wax might be.  Any advice is greatly
> appreciated. I've consulted the technical leaflets of the NPS and also the
> AIC, but consulting a conservator specifically about this is unfortunately
> not in the budget. I would like to improve the appearance of the furniture,
> but not at the cost of ruining the surface.
>
> Thanks for all input.
>
> Jackie Killian
>
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