Klay Restoration

11/02/2024

The Hartford mural is on Live Auctioneers and (hopefully!) sells on November 15th.

Roswell F. Putnam for Hartford Faience Rare and Monumental scenic tableau USA, c. 1910-15 glazed earthenware 18.375 h x 72.875 w x 1 d in (47 x 185 x 3 {ellipsis}

06/18/2024

The mural left today, headed to Chicago and Toomey & Co. auctions. Sad to see it go, but proud to have been a part of its journey. It’s a remarkable survivor.

04/30/2024

I forgot to take pics of painting the grout, but unifying the grout color is really what brought the restoration home. The darker grout makes it look like a night scene now, and it makes details like the owl’s talons, eyes and nose pop. I matched the paint to the darkest area of the original grout.

04/27/2024

I’m over the moon with how this turned out! I’m also amazed at the artistry and skill of Hartford Faience. A photo history of the restoration:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/tudorhead/ZVa006P88D

04/12/2024

Now that the tiles are glued down, it’s time to fill in the missing grout with an epoxy clay. I pressed coarse-grit sandpaper into the epoxy to replicate the texture of the grout. Most of the grout along the outside edge is missing, so corners need to be made. Once the voids are filled, the grout will be painted dark gray. The mural will “float” within the frame.

04/10/2024

The day I’ve looked forward to, and dreaded—gluing it down. Making changes or moving it becomes much, much harder after this.

04/04/2024

The surface damage has all been restored, and now it’s getting serious! I’ve created a simple gallery-style frame (not shown) with hinged easels on the back so it can (hopefully) be displayed vertically. I say hopefully, because I have no idea if they can support the weight of the piece. I’m estimating the weight at about 200 lbs., but I don’t really know. The final steps will be to glue the tiles down, fill the missing grout areas, and finally, paint all the grout the same color.

01/29/2024

Very pleased with how this section turned out! It will look even better when the missing grout is filled in.

01/26/2024

I give mad props to whomever removed the Hartford mural from its original setting. Tile is not meant to be removed, and getting it out without destroying it is quite a feat. Only two tiles were broken in half, but there were several areas where the glaze had chipped off. Someone had the foresight to save them, and glued them back onto the mural. Normally, that would be a good thing, but they had glued them back poorly, making the surface uneven. I decided to grind down the high-points and fill with an epoxy clay to get a smooth surface.

01/20/2024

The damaged areas have been filled, sanded, and primed. It’s dusty and tedious work, but now comes the fun part!

01/10/2024

Hartford Faience not only used shaped tiles, they created the design using glazed “islands” with canals between them which would be grouted. This gives the effect of a mosaic, or stained glass. This is the opposite of the typical decorative tile-making technique called “Cuerda seca” (“dry cord”) where a wax string is used to separate the glazed areas. From their 1910 catalog: “The material is made in such a way that the effect of colored mosaic is obtained without having the disadvantage of a large number of small pieces being set. All joints are hidden behind keyed cement line…”

12/08/2023

While other tile makers used shaped tiles, Hartford seems to have taken it to extremes. I suspect their jigsaw-shaped pieces led to a lot of damaged tile. I’ve seen at least two Hartford murals that had cracked tiles, which appear to have been installed broken (see comments for images). Look at the sharp points these pieces have! Clay is brittle, how these survived being removed is amazing.