The sceptre was removed because it was undersized, and also broken

A son's gift We were asked to restore this carved wooden statue of Saint Joseph and the child Jesus by a local man, who had bought it some years ago in an antique shop for his mother. The seller had said it was carved in France, and hailed from the 1850's. As we regularly restore statuary from this period, I'd happily agree with the seller's appraisal. It had not fared well over the years. It stood 57 inches tall and around 30 inches wide. Only experience can tell if a statu

Damaged nodding angel statue This nodding angel made everyone who saw it in my repair shop smile. Smiles are something we have all missed, having worn masks for far too long, so his arrival was more than welcome. I wondered how many children over the years would have enjoyed popping a penny into the mission box, to see the angel nod its head in approval; such a simple thing that brings to mind our guardian angels encouraging us to do good. How old is the angel? The nodding

Art and ancestors My dad didn't want me to work with plaster as he had done. He said it was messy and dusty and he wanted something...

Our lady of Lourdes restored for the shrine of St. Walburg's shrine church in Preston Artists throughout the ages have striven to depict the beauty of the Blessed Virgin. Historically she is often portrayed with a delicate chin, large eyes and small mouth. In iconography Her large eyes suggest contemplation of God, and the small mouth, the few words Mary spoke. Heaven itself has helped us to know the face of Mary; she has appeared in apparitions throughout the world, but mos

St. Anthony is a familiar figure in our churches, he either holds loaves of bread, or is depicted holding a book, with the infant Christ...

Restoring a Baby Jesus figure This Bambino was produced by Maison Rafl studio. Its broken arm had been covered in a resinous clay, which...

This lovely Pieta, originally by Meyers of Munich, had last been polychromed in the 1930's (The decorative artist had dated his work to tell us so!) Now 70 years later, it was due a complete makeover. The colours of the figure had oxidised, and the base was broken in several places. The halos had also tarnished and needed attention - the decorative detail on Mary's cloak was generally faded. Repairing the hand of Jesus 1. Here is a hairline split in the index finger. Seems li