Restoration of the "Atlas" toilet set
The Atlas toilet set. 1710s, Paris, France. Wood, ivory, gold, silver, steel, lead, garnets, diamonds, rock crystal, glass, gold embroidery, coconut. Entered the museum in 1922 from the Winter Palace.
Perfumery became very popular in Europe in the 17th century, especially in France. This prompted jewellers to produce a great variety of containers for perfume. The creation of such items reached its peak in the 18th century. They made both small flasks that could be used to carry perfume with you and stands holding several containers that could be kept on a dressing table. Only a few of the latter have come down to us today and each of these toilet sets is a unique work of art.
The Atlas toilet set before restoration 1710s, Paris, France. Wood, ivory, gold, silver, steel, lead, garnets, diamonds, rock crystal, glass, gold embroidery, coconut. Entered the museum in 1922 from the Winter Palace.
Before Restoration
Before the restoration was carried out, extensive soiling and oxidation wwere found on the surface; the metal had gaps and cracks that went all the way through. The rock crystal perfume flasks also had cracks. Parts of the piece were deformed. The wooden and ivory elements had dried out and the layer of paint on the base had been lost. The chains holding the stoppers of the flasks had snapped. The precious stones were loose in their mounts and some had been lost.
The prevention and neutralization of ongoing destructive processes required a whole range of conservation and restoration measures: laser cleaning of soiling and oxidation, laser welding of the gaps and cracks in the metallic decoration, partial correction of the deformation of the parts, impregnation and patching with shellac mastic of the wooden parts and the coconut shell reservoir, treating the ivory parts with a polymer glue, the reconstruction and reinforcement of the paint layer on the base of the piece, fixing the precious stones in their mounts, making and repairing a lost fastening, filling the cracks in the flasks with polymer, laser welding of the broken chains and fastening, attaching the decorative elements made of lead and silver to the coconut.
After Restoration
The restored Atlas toilet set was presented at an exhibition in the Winter Palace.
The restoration was carried out by Igor Karlovich Malkiel, the head of the State Hermitage’s Laboratory for the Scientific Restoration of Precious Metals.
