This is one of many editions Pablo Picasso created in collaboration with Madoura Pottery. Every piece in the edition, titled Woman Lamp, is hand-painted and unique. A face is depicted on each side with incised lines and a familiar palette of glazes over engobe. Though some of the damage to the piece was new, there was evidence of previous restoration. This isn’t unusual when it comes to pottery of this quality.
Everything was carefully reassembled, minimizing any evidence of adhesive. Such porous surfaces are susceptible to staining and it is important to understand which adhesives are appropriate to use and how to apply them. Some missing chips needed to be filled but we were able to preserve most of the previous restoration. The customer chose to finish this piece invisibly. Layers of conservational acrylics, epoxies, and pigments were painstakingly applied to the surface in order to bring the piece back to its original condition. The previous restoration was even reworked to more closely match the texture and color found elsewhere on the piece. The end result is flawless.
