Object conservation is unique from other services. The term “object” can imply a Wurlitzer juke box, an antique baby carriage, or a dollhouse-sized sofa. Because object conservation encompasses such an array of items, knowledge of vast materials is also essential. The conservators at Bernacki & Associates are expertly trained at treating wood, glass, synthetics, crystal, metal, ceramic, minerals, stone, shell, bone, and many others. Each object’s history also determines customized care, whether primitive artwork, ethnographic artifact or classical masterpiece.
Many of the furniture restoration or conservation techniques can also be applied to objects. However, the greatest challenge in object conservation is also one of the most common. Materials are individualistic. Not only do they vary in durability, they react differently to environmental elements like temperature or humidity fluctuations. Each object must be considered both as a whole and as sum of its parts. Prior objects conserved at Bernacki & Associates have included:
- Giltwood frames
- Malachite table tops
- Clocks and their wooden cases
- Barometers (wood, metal, glass, mercury)
- Sculpture (all types of material)
- Candelabras (wood, metal, bone)
- Chandeliers (glass, metal, wood, bone)
- Ceramic objects
- Dollhouses, miniature interiors, and dollhouse furniture
- Musical instruments (pianos and harps)
- Music machines
- Historic cash registers
Examples below...
