Reception Suite Conservation Continues

Conservators are now completing the final touches on the second phase of the ongoing project in the Mansion’s Reception Suite as preparations are being made for future work on the space.

Boston-based objects conservator Ellen Promise has steam-cleaned the bust and pedestal of the marble Madonna statue typically on view in the bay of the Reception Suite. Not much is known about this specific piece, which is most likely a stock piece of 19th-century Italian origin.

Above: damaged paint in the Reception Suite bay window Below: Conservator Gianfranco Pocobene’s canvas-lined replica panel

Conservator Gianfranco Pocobene is completing a 3×7′ canvas-lined panel to replicate the heavily damaged painted decoration of the Reception Suite’s bay window. The removable panel will be attached safely over the damaged area, at once unifying the room aesthetically while protecting fragile original surfaces underneath.

Curator Arlene Palmer Schwind is currently working with Prelle Manufacture in Lyon, France, to determine patterns, dimensions, and repeats for the Suite’s opulent silk curtains, tassels, and tiebacks for the all-important textile phase of this effort. Stay tuned for more updates as we make progress on this intensive project.