Russian artifacts nearly lost

While it is not a secret, it is probably not widely known that the Foundation of Russian History is located in Jordanville, New York, a small pastural community in central New York. The Foundation is a unique place in that it contains not only the museum, but Jordanville is also home to the Holy Trinity Monastery and Russian Orthodox Church as well. The Foundation's Museum holds in its collection some interesting items, many of which made their way from Russia at a time when so few objects survived. The Foundation of Russian History has trusted Spicer Art Conservation, LLC to treat many of their artifacts, particularly those which are now on display at their exhibition "The Russian Word and Image: Four Hundred Years of Books and Art".

The Holy Trinity Church in Jordanville on a spectacular day for the opening of the eagerly anticipated exhibit of the Foundation of Russian History.

Inside the exhibit: The Russian Word and Image.

Among these artifacts are some remarkable items which surprisingly survived following the fall of czarist Russia.  Perhaps most recognizable, Romanov family items are now part of the exhibit highlighting these and some of Russia's rare historic objects.

The artifacts SAC treated for the exhibit included both paper and textiles. The paper based items included a menu from a celebratory dinner of the Coronation of Czar Nicholas II (often referred to as "the last Czar") and a set of illustrations of the coronation. Before they arrived in our studio, many items had been painstakingly preserved by well-intentioned individuals who knew that these items were rare. Many paper based items had been glued to poster boards with rubber cement, and some had been placed in very acidic environments. Other items, like the print below had been "touched up" by painting areas where there was great loss.  With perseverance, SAC was able to remove the prints from their boards and conserve each of the paper items.

One of a set of four prints celebrating the coronation of  Nicholas II.

The textiles we treated in this collection were magnificent. The flags and banners in particular were each richly and heavily embroidered with intricacy and unbelievable detail. The embroidery was often 3-dimensional. Such an artifact treated for the exhibition was a double-sided standard (image below) elaborately worked with metallic threads and silver discs. At the center, the image incorporated enameled metal for the face and hands of St. George who appears in the still richly red colored center of the double-headed eagle's crest all on a silk damask.

1856 St. George Standard of His Imperial Majesty's Own Escort. This double-sided and elaborately embroidered  standard was awarded by Alexander II to the Chernomorski Cossack division in recognition of extraordinary feats in battle.  The flag, composed of silk and embroidered in metallic threads and elements is quite stunning, even in its present condition.

Many of the items are so rare simply because of the consequences of the changes that took place in Russia as the Socialist and then Communist parties controlled the government.  During this time of great change, monasteries were closed, priests were murdered or jailed, it was forbidden to teach children religion or to publish religious literature.  Museums and their contents were deemed "not necessary"; therefore much of the art, history, and culture of Russia was lost in the effort to make everything the same and free from religion or the rule of the past. However not all was lost. Miraculously, objects were rescued and brought out of Russia to the tiny town of Jordanville where they would be safe from destruction.

"The Russian Word and Image" exhibit sheds light on 400 years of Russian art and books, covering the time periods of the Muscovite czardom, through the reign of Catherine the Great to Nicholas II, to the civil war to the life of Russians abroad. If you are able to go, it is just a beautifully presented exhibit.
_____________________________
Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Conservation of Memorabilia

by Barbara Owens 
The French Exposition of 1889, or the World's Fair as it is more commonly referred to, is probably best known for the construction of the Eiffel Tower which served as the entrance arch for all fair attendees to pass beneath.  Lesser known perhaps is that this particular Exposition was attended by the "greats" of the time including: Oscar Wilde, Thomas Edison, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley, along with painters, Whistler, Gauguin, van Gogh, and Munch.  This was also the first fair ever lit with electric lights, making night time attendance possible.

The French Exposition had millions of visitors, and nearly each one would take home a souvenir of their trip.  A brand new keepsake, which would soon take the world by storm, was a small glass globe filled with water and tiny white flakes in which a miniature Eiffel Tower stood - you guessed it, the very first snow globes.  Some people took home less permanent items like chocolate, while others took postcards, posters, handkerchiefs, or umbrellas.

Recently, Spicer Art Conservation received a lithography print from a client which featured a view of the fair, surrounded by smaller views of some of the most enticing exhibits.  This particular print had been damaged from a fall.  The print was scratched by the shattering glass and had damage from age and the previous ways it was displayed (old tape, high humidity, mold and stains).

Exposition Universelle de Paris 1889

What stood out was the color and detail of the lithography.  What also stood out to us was the origin of such a lovely print.  Certainly, it was from the Exposition, but was it a piece of memorabilia that was purchased at the Expo by a fair goer?  Perhaps it was a poster to publicize the upcoming event, or maybe it was distributed to exhibitors?  We just did not know, and looking deeper only revealed more questions and amazing facts about the 1889 Exposition.  If you search the term "1889 Paris Exposition", this image is one of the first to come up and copies can be purchased at any poster shop, so clearly it is a well known image.  But short of seeing that there is an original of this print at a French Museum, not much other information exists.  Who was the artist?  How was it produced?  How many were made?  No one seems to know.

Often times a conservator is asked to work on a piece that is striking and valuable, sometimes we work on the mundane, and sometimes we work on the obscure.  This print was probably not terribly expensive in 1889, it probably was not rare, it probably was not "important" in that it was not created by a famous artist.  Yet today it is somewhat rare and is a lovely glimpse at the way images were "printed" just a short 123 years ago, which in a way, gives it importance.

As we at Spicer Art Conservation began to think about it, we realized that it is ALL memorabilia - everything we work on, from flags, to coats from a long-ago war, to furniture, quilts, maps, papers, anything and everything we conserve - everything was saved by someone who cherished it.  People have a propensity to keep things that are important to them, and that importance usually stems from an emotional connection to the object.  Often that emotional connection, along with the piece, is passed to the next generation, and so on.  Lucky for us, or we would not have so many amazing items to work on!  Each day something new comes through our studio doors.  Opening a shipping container from a museum or private collection is an exciting conservation adventure that always comes hand-in-hand with a lesson in history and the importance of memorabilia.

_____________________________
Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.