The sconces arrived at Grand Light in very poor condition. The finish of the frame had dulled with time and the candle covers had deteriorated. The sconces featured hand-painted curved mica shades which were also in poor condition. Two of shades were missing and needed to be replicated.
To restore the fixtures, the arms were removed from the back-plate and the original finish was removed from each piece. Once primed, a base coat was applied to create a gold shine to the fixture. Then, several coats of a dark brown paint were hand rubbed to create an antique bronze finish.
In the picture below, our artisans can be seen applying the antique bronze finish by hand.
To replicate the mica shades, the patterns were cut from thin strips of almond mica, and then carefully shaped to the frame.
In the picture below, the mica shade can be seen before any paint was applied. From this point, an outline of the original pattern was transferred to the mica, and then hand-painted by a skilled artisan. More about this process can be read about in our previous post by clicking here.
With the frame of the fixture restored and both the original and replicated shades freshly painted, each shade was strapped to the frame with 1/8" calf leather straps.
For more information about this project, please read our previous updates.
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About Grand Light:
Grand Light has restored, replicated and manufactured custom lighting fixtures at every scale, including various projects at Yale University, the Lincoln Square Theater in Decatur, IL., The Otesaga Resort and Hotel in Cooperstown, NY., The Shubert Theater in New Haven, CT., and other prestigious projects nation wide.
Located at 580 Grand Avenue, New Haven, Conn., Grand Light has been serving the interior and exterior lighting needs of homeowners and professionals since 1929.
U.S. Gov't C.C.R. registered company.
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