Range of Services
Maintenance of collections
Our services range from assisting with relocation, disassembling and moving exhibits, and keeping condition protocols, to accompanying loans during transport until they are handed over to the recipient. An important aspect of our work is the impactful presentation of the exhibits. Our vast experience in working with museums enables us to convert different concepts and requests of our clients into a solution fit for display, combining traditional methods with modern technology. If desired, we also develop anti-theft concepts for your exhibits.
Cast Collection moving out of the Lindenau-Museum Altenburg
Due to renovations at the Lindenau-Museum Altenburg, the extensive cast collection there had to be moved to an interim depot. To leave the building, the partly heavyweight exhibits had to be fit through a window as there was no elevator available for that purpose. Disassembling the Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti posed a particular challenge due to their tight fixture to the wall.
Restoration
When restoring a cast, we benefit from our experience and expertise in its formation process. This enables us to purposefully address any damage and the underlying cause. We are also your partner when it comes to professionally cleaning your plaster cast. We can advise you on all commonly used materials and techniques, and will connect you with other specialized restoration workshops if necessary. While your piece is with us, we safely store it on our secure premises. Beyond that, it is also possible to place it in our depot with temperature and humidity monitoring.
Venus by Bertel Thorvaldsen
The biggest concern about this cast of the Venus by Thorvaldsen was statics, making a restoration urgently necessary. Additional reinforcements had to be added where the material had cracked. The cracks were then closed with plaster and color-adjusted.
Garden and park sculptures
By using weatherproof materials, we can offer the casts listed in our catalog as outdoor versions. We have a variety of base materials available to compensate for different material limitations. Cast stone is not a modern invention. Many parks display cast stone sculptures as an inexpensive alternative to marble. The bright color was meant to hide this at first glance. Just like the originals, the casts should be covered during the cold season. We are here to answer any questions you might have.
The Aphrodite at the Schacky Park Dießen
For the longest time, a pedestal at the Schacky Park was unoccupied but now a cement-bound stone cast of the Aphrodite Medici has taken the spotlight. An old photograph proved that this sculpture once stood in this spot. Thanks to the local park society and sponsors, a new casting was made possible.
Stuccowork
From ancient times to modern architecture, stucco has been an important technique for the artistic design of interiors and facades. In this field we find common ground with the craft of art casting in the restoration of buildings, protection of existing stucco elements, removal of late paint coatings, and the reconstruction and replication of lost stucco ornaments. But we are also experienced in restoring stucco frames, most often used in the baroque and rococo periods. Especially symmetrical frames require us to employ different molding techniques. If this is not possible, missing ornaments can be created from scratch according to the patterns of existing elements. Bench-running custom plaster profiles, whether straight, round, or oval, is part of our basic routines.
Restoring a Gallery Frame
The few remaining parts of this badly damaged frame were in a desolate state. The built-in fasteners were rusted and unusable. More than half of the ornaments were missing, but could be replaced through casting. The composition of added plaster mass was based on the old recipes that were used for the frame itself.
Shrinking/Enlarging
In cases where it is unfeasible to create a traditional mold, we can use a contactless scanner to create a digital copy. The subsequent 3D print can be an alternative, albeit not as detailed as a cast due to technological limitations. A significant advantage of this approach is the ability to shrink or enlarge the scanned object. We offer this alternative service, including a thorough post-processing of the printed copy. Through our partners, we can always utilize the latest tech.
Pedestal of a Technical Device
The task was to create a faithful copy of a carved pedestal, but shrunk by 12% compared to the original. In this case, we went with a material that decreases in volume while drying. However, this process is limited so it had to be repeated until the desired reduction was achieved. The final cast was tinted to match the original.
From Draft to Completion
Many of our commissions are nothing more than an initial idea that we, together with the client, try to shape into a feasible project outline. In most cases, we can draw on our diverse experience, but we are also open to explore new approaches. As we simply cannot master all the different techniques of the craft to perfection, we have connections to a variety of different craftspeople. Feel free to ask us!
Kairos
The Kairos is the personification of opportunity and was created by the sculptor Lysippos. The only remaining record of the original is a fragmented relief from Trogir. Together with the sculptor Stefan Dürre, a new 3D version of the Kairos was sculpted. Our workshop was commissioned to create an outdoor cast with the attributes cast in bronze.
Museum Replicas
Sometimes it is not possible to get permission to cast from originals. Therefore we also offer replication of existing historic casts. Those objects often have visible seams that originate from the techniques used at the time. In the past, these seams were not removed in order to keep the cast surface as untouched as possible. We, too, keep the seams on our casts as they are a remnant and testimony of old craftsmanship. This and other old casting techniques are still being used in our workshop today. Additionally, we offer a wide range of casts from originals that were first completed in our workshop. Thanks to our clients’ diverse commissions our catalog keeps expanding. We are always grateful for your requests!
Casting the Ludovisi Gaul
From time to time, molds need to be done on-site – in this case, at the cast collection of the University of Heidelberg. This allowed interested visitors to experience the process of molding the Ludovisi Gaul live.
