'Mound of Flowers' 1991 by Jeff Koons
This shows one of the areas where leaf and flower elements had become detached
The position of each element was carefully mapped and marked
Making final adjustments to the position of the leaves
Reattaching a leaf to its original location using a conservation adhesive
Damage to one of the flower elements
The element reassembled and mounted in the final stages of the treatment
The completed sculpture after treatment
Jeff Koons
'Mound of Flowers' 1991
This sculpture is entirely fabricated in glass. The flowers and leaves are hot-formed in opaque glass and are then attached to a domed glass support with a combination of adhesives and metal screw thread fittings. Patina was asked to examine the artwork following damage sustained as a result of a serious shock, which had caused the detachment of a number of leaves and one flower, leaving the underlying glass support exposed.
The challenge was to find the original locations of the detached leaves and flowers as there was no obvious way of matching them. They needed to be positioned exactly to ensure that the close-fitting jigsaw of pieces could fit back together. After detailed mapping of their attachment points and adhesive residues it was possible to correctly position and reattach them using a conservation-grade epoxy resin, chosen for its non-yellowing qualities. Small chips on two of the leaves were also restored. The sculpture is now in fully displayable condition once more.
After treatment we designed and commissioned a supportive mount to ensure that the sculpture could be safely handled and displayed in future. The sculpture is part of a privately owned collection.
With many thanks to:
Tessa Jackson, sculpture conservator, who assisted with this project.
Richard Rogers Ltd, who made the support.
Artist | Jeff Koons |
|---|---|
Name | 'Mound of Flowers' 1991 |