Introducing Derrin Compton and his Treatment of a Ceramic Piece
Derrin Compton
Assistant Objects Conservator
Derrin received his Master of Arts in Conservation Studies with Distinction from West Dean College in Chichester, UK, specializing in ceramics and related materials. During his training, he was awarded the Trustees’ Prize for Conservation and the Geoffrey Moss Prize from the British Antique Dealers’ Association. His thesis research focused on the conservation of a contemporary glass sculpture and consultation with a living artist. He earned a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the Savannah College of Arts and Design in Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Winthrop University in South Carolina. Derrin has worked in private practice in South Carolina and held internships for institutions including the Glenstone Museum, the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Michael C. Carlos Museum.
Derrin has conserved objects from archaeological, historical and contemporary contexts and has experience working with ceramics, glass, plaster, enamels, gilded and metallic surfaces, ivory, stone, and wood, among others. He also works on the outdoor sculpture team working with bronze, weathering steel and painted metal.
Treatment Reassembly and Loss Compensation
Kay Sattler, Mali’o, 1997 Ceramic with Gold Leaf
This gleaming vessel is made from a low fired earthenware, with the interior covered in gold leaf. The exterior is glazed with a mottled buff, gray, and black drip-like finish. Unfortunately, the vessel was damaged, breaking into eight large pieces with numerous small shards. The low-fired clay body is highly friable along the break edge and is prone to additional losses. These losses mean that the large ceramic pieces could not be fit together without substantial compensation.
After reassembly, Derrin carefully filled the areas of loss and inpainted the fill to match the surface color and texture. “Inpainting” refers to only toning in the added fill and not retouching over original material. Similarly, Derrin in gilded the losses in the gilded interior, gilding into the filled areas of loss.
Since 2012, Preservation Arts has had a robust Object Conservation Department. Today, the department has several conservators treating three-dimensional works, each with additional specialties and expertise. The conservation of objects requires precise reassembly and impeccable recreation of surface finishes. Our conservators have successfully treated numerous sculptures including Viola Frey, Richard Shaw, Robert Arneson, David Gilhooley, MC Esher, Ritsue Mishima, David Linger, and decorative arts objects such as Spode ceramics, Herend porcelain, Ancient Greek red figure pottery, Steuben glass, and Murano glass.
Please contact Preservation Arts for any object conservation projects you may be considering. Call 510-808-7894 or email info@preservation-arts.com.