Brief photo essay documenting the repair of a marble Venus Italica

When we opened the crate containing this marble Psyche and the Jar of Beauty (after Thorvaldsen’s original) we also got a bad surprise…

An alabaster Three Graces after Antonio Canova’s famous lifesize marble following clean-up and repair.

For some reason, I am fascinated with antique gilded wood (or giltwood) putti in the Baroque style, which usually originate from South Germany or Italy. As essentially gilded toddlers with wings, putti (or cherubs) can be whimsical and cute while still remaining part of a lofty neoclassical tradition; they hold that apparent contradiction.

The term “vignette” is used in interior design to describe a small grouping of objects, usually on a table or shelf, that are arranged to create an artful display, For example, on top of your mantle, you might place some greenery in a silver urn next to a wooden candlestick, fronted with a miniature ceramic bust. Or, you might group a lidded wooden cannister, a ceramic jug, and a porcelain sculpture on your kitchen counter..