Reconstructing the Historical Frame of a Degas Painting

As part of my work as a wood and decorative surfaces conservator, I examine the picture frames in the collection, some of which are as old as the paintings themselves. When I examined the frame of Studio Interior with “The Steeplechase” (1880–81) by the Impressionist painter Edgar Degas, I saw that its condition was poor: many parts of the gesso layer covering the wood carvings, as well as the gold leaves over it, were disintegrating.

As conservators, we always aim to preserve the original as much as possible, with minimal intervention, to maintain the object’s authenticity. However, in extreme cases like the one before us, the needed repairs would have left very little original material. After consulting IMJ Curator of Modern Art Efrat Klein, we decided to remove the crumbling layers, expose the original carved wood, and then rebuild the decorative layers using traditional materials and techniques.

In the first stage, I needed to remove the disintegrating decorative layers. This process was done gradually using tools and materials, such as cotton compresses, that would not damage the carvings. Only then could I begin to reconstruct the decorative layer.

In most gilded frames, the gold leaf rests on a primary layer of limestone powder mixed with animal-based glue. This mixture, called gesso, can be spread and then precisely sanded to maintain the carving’s contour lines. After building several such layers and polishing them to perfection, the frame looked like this:

In the next stage, I applied several layers of bole, red and yellow clay that traditionally served as a base on which gold leaf was placed. The reason for using warm-toned bole is that if the extremely thin gold leaves were applied directly to white gesso, the gold would appear less rich. Another quality of bole is that it can be polished to a marble-like shine. This is how the frame looked after applying the bole layers:

After many preparatory layers, the gold leaf application stage finally arrived. Gold leaves are traditionally hammered into small (8 x 8 cm) square shapes, only 0.1 micron thick. They are

 so delicate that they cannot be touched directly: special, extremely soft brushes must be used to lift them. A dab of warm water is enough to affix the gold leaf to the frame’s surface.

So that the shiny gold would not draw the viewer’s attention away from Degas’s painting, and also to give it the look appropriate to a period frame, I gently distressed the gold finish with paint, simulating the wear of time. Finally, after several weeks of intensive work, the exciting reunion between frame and painting was achieved, and now the conservation department eagerly awaits its next challenge.

Edgar Degas, French, 1834–1917

Studio Interior with "The Steeplechase" (Aux Courses, Le Jockey Blesse), 1880–81

Oil on canvas on board

27 x 41 cm

The Sam Spiegel Collection, bequeathed to American Friends of the Israel Museum

B97.0493

Photos © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem