SCULPTURES RESTORATION

Maison André has always had, since its creation in 1850 an important activity of restoring sculptures. Naturally, in one and a half century, that is since the time of "Viollet-Le -Duc" the restoration of sculpture has seriously evolved according to the taste and especially to the respect which we have for the works today which are entrusted to us. The restoration of sculptures covers a vast domain of all the styles all the civilizations and all "objets d' art" of all the additions of time and of men: grimes, inconvenient paintings, does again elements marking the time of the restauration more than the time of the creation. It must be necessary to respect the "skin" of sculpture: original polychromy of virgin flower of the plaster, patinas wanted by an African artist, etc. Naturally our activity consists also in collecting what was separated by accident and in filling the gaps. After all these interventions, and this is the major difficulty, one should not see that a restorer passed through that.