Anastasia Alexander Art Restoration

Restoration and conservation of oil, tempera and acrylic paintings.

Old pictures often become dulled and muted by dirt, smoke, clouded varnish etc. This sometimes happens to such an extent that the picture is hardly visible any more. Restoration refers to the removal of surface dirt and discoloured layers of varnish, the treatment of the support (canvas, wood or paper), the replacement of missing portions while imitating the original through the sympathetic use of similar pigments, or building up fragments of sculpted or moulded areas of an art work...

The restoration of icons has some peculiarities requiring a specialist who understands the icon's unique structure...

Gilded objects such as a mirror frames, picture frames, or furniture can become damaged over the years. Gilding discolours over time, and frames can suffer knocks and lose pieces, in which case restoration is necessary. Anastasia Alexander Art Restoration is fully equipped for antique gilding restoration. We always use traditional methods and materials, and only genuine gold leaf...

The art of gilding has existed for thousands of years. The first reference to the skill is found in Herodotus, where he mentions the Egyptians who applied thin sheets of gold onto wood and metal. Ancient Romans used gold leafing on the ceilings of their temples and palaces, the traces of which may still be seen...

Frames evolved from the borders fitted around tomb paintings which appeared 3000 to 4000 years ago. Later they appeared on mosaics, enclosing narrative scenes and decorative panels. The gold and gems of early altar frames suggested the glories of Heaven. The elaborate altarpieces developed in fourteenth and fifteenth century Italy were intended to emphasise the beauty of paradise and the bliss to be found on earth...

Being a port city and crossroad for many people for more than three centuries, Cape Town sometimes turns up the most incredible finds. Being in business for over 20 years Anastasia Alexander Art Restoration have come across the most amazing objects finding their way to the “ends of the earth”. Many of these of course had suffered enough on their travels, and needed to be brought back to life. That is why our studio is pleased to offer you professional restoration of the many kinds of objects which follow...

The earliest form of mural art was found in caves from the Paleolithic Era. In France, the caves at Lascaux enclose wall paintings from 15,000 B.C. In 1700 B.C. mural paintings emerged in China and could soon after be found in Korea and Japan...