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The challenge of recreating fine works of art requires the talent of a "copycat artist". Being a copycat artist means more than simply restoring a piece to look just like another or duplicating it as a reproduction. One must develop skills comparable to those of the original artist to truly capture the essence of each restoration project.
Copycat artists are nothing new in the world of art. In Roman times, artisans produced knock-offs (forgeries) of a piece when the demand for an original outpaced the supply available. Successful artists during the Renaissance often operated large studios to meet the demand for their creations. It is, therefore, often difficult to trace a painting or piece of art to a particular artist.
Peter Paul Rubens produced a great deal of quality artwork that would not have been possible but for the assistance of apprentices such as Anton VanDyck, Jacob Jordaens and Frans Snyders. Rembrandt has created similar problems of attribution for scholars. During his period of great success, Rembrandt had as many as twenty pupils, part of whose training was to copy his drawings.
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BEFORE: The mountainous landscape portrayed on the front side of this fine piece required variations of gray background as wet and dry strokes, followed by the colors traditionally used, such as thin lines of pale ink, darker ink and various hues of burnt sienna, muted blues, greens, browns, etc.
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AFTER: The back side of the Charger includes the traditional background colorations often used with the design details as an underglaze of blue, with an overglaze of reds, golds and other variations for the elaborate dragons.
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Original paintings have often been copied and transferred from canvas to surfaces such as porcelain, glass, china, cast iron, pottery, paper and textiles. To offer a brief background of transferware, it is the process by which a pattern or design is etched onto a copper or metal plate.
The plate is then inked and the pattern is transferred to a special tissue. The inked tissue is applied to the object to be fired again. The process called "under printing" was later developed because the early transfers would easily wear off. Another technique called "clobbering" was a combination of transfer and hand painting by an artisan.
In Europe, artist guilds such as the Dresden Hausmalers were formed to meet the great demand for hand painted decorative objects. Three of the most highly respected members of this guild were Frederick Kersting and the Italian painters Toscani and Cagloni. The Dresden Hausmalers became experts in the transfer of canvas paintings such as landscapes and portraits onto porcelain.
Directories from 1855 through 1944 show that in Dresden alone, more than 200 painting shops employed artists. Meissen is well known for copying Watteau paintings onto its pieces. Jean Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) was a French rococo artist whose charming paintings reflected his interest in the theater and ballet. The reproduction of this type of art was very expensive because it could only be accomplished by a highly qualified portrait artist.
Imari-type wares were copied in Europe by Meissen and by English potters, among them Worcester and Derby. Imari is a generic term which encompasses a broad family of wares that were made in Japanese villages and shipped to Europe through the port of Imari. The features most common to Imariware include designs with panels of birds, florals or people.
The colors often used on this type of piece are an underglaze of blue, with an overglaze of red, gold and green enamels. The Chinese also made Imari-type wares that differed from Japanese wares in several respects - an absence of spur marks, a thinner type body and a more consistent control of the blue. Designs for Imari or Aritaware were produced by artists from the Edo (1615-1868), Meiji and Taisho eras (1870-1925).
The photos selected for this article are a small sampling of restoration that required the "copycat" talents of a master restoration specialist. The first and second set of photos are of a tall palace Imari porcelain floor vase with a flaring rim and fluted edge, decorated with figures during daily activities. It is one of a pair that was badly damaged. Prior to painting, each piece of the damaged vase had to be cleaned, bonded back together, cracks injected for stabilization, and new parts and reinforcements added.
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The restoration of this large Imari vase ('Before' pictures on top, 'After' pictures below) required a matching of vibrant colors with many surface textures and worn gold accents.
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The products selected for the restoration of artwork that has damaged or missing areas should be as close to the original body type as possible. It is wise to begin with materials that have similar surface textures, laying effects, translucency, depth, patina, or whatever might be unusual as design. Before an actual restoration is begun, it is always best to start with a "test" tile or some other object that closely resembles the original piece being restored to avoid any surprises.
Of course, experience is your best guarantee for a restoration that most closely matches the original artwork. Experience and natural ability, however, should not replace the advantages gained by the study of an artist's work and his particular style of painting. For example, Chinese brush painting stems from the idea that you can capture the essence of a subject without "painting every leaf". It is this simplicity that holds great appeal.
DiAnna Tindell is a master restoration specialist and founder of Tindell's Restoration Schools in Nashville, TN. Inquiry for conservation or restoration resources and more details about this article, please visit the website: www.TindellsRestorationSchools.com Send mail to: P.O. Box 292633, Nashville, TN 37229-2633.
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