Outdoor Sculpture Department: Patination Treatment

(Above): Before Treatment, Henry Moore, Large Four Piece Reclining Figure, 1972-73, Edition 4/7.

This Henry Moore sculpture is located at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco. The work is approximately 13 ft long and was made into an edition of seven full size casts (plus an artist's copy), all cast in a foundry in Berlin. The work comprises four individual elements, with the composition of an abstracted reclining female figure. This monumental project was guided by the Henry Moore Foundation in the United Kingdom.

Due to the scale and complexity of the project, the work had to be rigged out by Atthowe Fine Arts Services and taken off site to accomplish as it took months to complete. The Henry Moore Foundation advised that the current condition was not as the artist had intended and that a full restoration was necessary. Treatment included surface cleaning, corrosion reduction, removal of old pigmented coatings and dark brown patinas and the graffiti scratches. Next, the surfaces of the figure were polished to bare bronze and a series of layers of golden patina were applied. Darker patinas were added into the recesses of the forms to give dimensionally to the figure and the base was patinated to a dark brown. Structural support members were added to the underside of the base to prevent sagging that had been contributing to the overall long term condition. Finally, the figure and the base were given several coats of lacquer and wax to protect the surfaces. After treatment, the work was delivered and installed back to the site.

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(Above); After Patination Treatment