Art Restorations, Inc.

Is that time of year again! Our annual attic sale officially starts this Friday, November 28 and will continue through the rest of the year. Please visit us at 7803 Inwood Rd to check out the select items we have on sale, and bring your damaged or broken antiques with you for us to fix! Christmas is approaching fast, and if you have any restoration needs for the holiday season, YOU MUST ACT FAST!

It may not feel like it, but holidays are right around the corner! The time is NOW to bring in your table settings for restoration or repairs. That includes: crystal glassware sets; silver candelabras; silverware; porcelain dishes and place settings; and any of your dazzling centerpieces. The sooner it comes to us, the sooner you can have your Thanksgiving and Christmas table settings looking dazzling for your cherished friends and family.

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Swipe to see our conservation treatment on this wonderful porcelain fu dog (also known as a Chinese guardian lion.) Our conservation treatments differ from our “full restoration” option, mainly in the level to which the repair or damage still shows.

Why would someone prefer a conservation treatment over a full restoration?

Namely, to preserve the history of a piece of art. All artworks, old and new alike, have a story to tell—a message worth conveying. The history of a piece is an important part of that story. For some, a damaged piece of art can only remind them of the heartbreak felt when it was broken. For others, damage or visible repairs tells the story of a cherished piece of art that was brought back to life. Our conservation treatments bring a broken piece back together, but not necessarily erase the evidence of a mishap or damage. We seek to find the beauty in broken things and share that with the world.

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Swipe to see the results of our Conservation Treatment for this darling ceramic pig teapot! Our skilled Objects conservator was able to reconstruct this beauty and then do some finer detail work to blend the join lines into the piece. Conservation treatments can sometimes result in a visible repair, especially upon close inspection, but they tell the story of a well-loved item and the skilled hands that brought it back to life.

We had the pleasure of working on this adorable terra cotta tile with a painted exterior! It came to us in over 16 pieces with some stress cracking and chipping to the broken areas. Our conservator secured any stress cracking to prevent any further breakage, reconstructed the pieces, and then touched in to bring the painted exterior and natural crazing back to life.

This gorgeous 5” x 4.5” painted mirror in gilt frame came to us with areas of losses and flaking. Our conservator began by consolidating the existing paint film to prevent further flaking, before touching in to the areas of loss. Once sealed with a varnish, this tiny treasure was good as new!

It’s not just our furry friends that capture our hearts! Our Objects department sees many different animal figurines of all materials, including: hard and soft paste porcelain, terra cotta, crystal, glass, and more. ARI is here to help for repairs and restorations on your beloved animal tchotchkes and figures!

WOW! What a transformation for this beautiful patterned Murano glass bowl. It came to us in 19 pieces + shards with missing areas, chipping to the joins, and stress cracks throughout. Our objects conservator was able to reconstruct the pieces, secure all stress cracking, fabricate and fill to the missing before doing a beautiful paint job to blend it all in. Sometimes, all hope is not lost when you drop or break a beautiful piece of art!

Swipe to see the amazing transformation of this wonderful painting! This piece came to us with heavy discoloration to the varnish layer, significant losses to the paint film, and extensive water damage and grime throughout. Our paintings conservator added a new lining to the canvas before removing the grime and previous varnish layer. Then, they filled the areas of loss with spackle to ensure a smooth and level surface and touched in to the missing areas of paint. After adding a new varnish layer, the restoration was complete!

What do you get when you cross the holiday season with over 40 years of multi-disciplinary art expertise? Decades worth of handmade and decorated tree ornaments, of course! Our conservators make new ornaments every year and showcase their breadth of artistic talent. Come by after the thanksgiving holiday to check out our tree, get some of your art repaired, and browse the pieces we have for sale at our attic sale!

Before ➡️ After
Swipe to see the full restoration of this beautiful mid-century modern lamp with a painted floral design. This wonderful piece came to us from Washington, DC in 9 pieces with over 20 inches of stress cracking throughout. Our talented objects conservator secured the stress cracks, reconstructed the pieces, filled and fabricated the missing parts, and worked magic on the airbrush to match the original piece. Our metals conservator was able to rewrite the lamp using all of the original wiring and plug.

Our full restorations are our highest treatment option for objects. Our conservators take all of their skills and experience to make any repairs as invisible as possible. A full restoration is the best way to get your pieces as close to its original state as possible.