AIC's 42nd Annual Meeting

An example of the 17th century Pennsylvania German style of cabinetmaking, a rare painted shrank, or cupboard, discovered in 2007 proved to be a unique surviving example of the genre, and one of a few examples possessed of its original painted decoration. Acquired by Chipstone Foundation and scheduled to be exhibited in partnership with the Milwaukee Art Museum, the unique form had endured exposure to fire, a complex history of attention ranging from day-to-day housekeeping to well-intended, albeit inexpert, restorations. Shortly thereafter - in the early 1800’s - the cabinet was completely repainted using a monochrome casein-bound paint.
Cross-sectional analysis, pigment identification and micro chemical analysis aided in the characterization of object substrate and applied decoration layers. What was clearly a robust pattern of surface decoration – a structure of rich faux burl members framing white presentation panels detailed with vibrant arabesques of brush-applied color – remained obscured beneath a substantial and seemingly intractable accumulation of lead white pigment dispersed in an aged proteinaceous binder.
This presentation gives a brief history of the shrank as a particular German cabinet form, and the curatorial discussion and conservation analysis that led to the decision to remove the 19th century overpaint and reveal the painted decoration original to the ornate cupboard.