NEW YORK, NY.- Eli Wilner & Company recently completed the restoration of the original frame on a rare tondo painting by Annie Snyder (American, 1852-1927) in the collection of the Clinton County Historical Society in Lock Haven, PA.

The artwork “Woman in a White Scarf,” circa 1895-1905, is a unique and important part of the Clinton County Historical Society’s Annie Snyder Collection of 33 paintings. It is the only round three-dimensional piece of art known to have been created by the artist, and was housed in an intricate carved and gilded frame, with a matching gilded spandrel that doubles as a spacer to accommodate the original glass.

When it was acquired by the museum, the frame was unfortunately in extremely bad condition, with severe losses to the delicate outer carved ornament and major structural breaks in the spandrel. Surprisingly, the old glass, wavy and bubbled, was completely unharmed and had protected the enclosed artwork from any significant deterioration, despite its age.

JoAnn Bowes, on behalf of the Society, first approached Eli Wilner & Company about the project in early March 2020, and discussions were underway to review Wilner’s
restoration proposal with their Collections Management Committee and Board of Directors. Unfortunately, days later, the country-wide Covid-19 shutdowns began and the project had to be put on hold. Almost two years later, Ms. Bowes resubmitted the proposal for one of Wilner’s Museum funding outreach programs and the project qualified for partial funding. The framed artwork was transported to Wilner in the spring, and the restoration was completed by September 2022.

The restoration project first entailed carefully unfitting both the unusual concave shaped painting from its frame and the original glass for temporary storage and then dismantling all elements of the frame. Wilner’s woodworking team then began by replacing all the missing elements, using a combination of casting and carving techniques, and repairing the major damage to the spandrel. Meanwhile, their gilding and finishing team did cleaning tests to the surface and removed extensive amounts of gold paint that had been used in prior restoration attempts. Fortunately they were able to save much of the original gilding on the spandrel. After all the carving repairs were done, the outermost portion of the frame was regilded and patinated to match the interior portions while retaining an appropriate level of age and character. Finally the glass was thoroughly cleaned, and the painting was refit into the frame with upgraded hardware and a special build-up to protect the verso which protrudes significantly from the thin, flat structure.