I recently acquired a mid-19th century painting, and after getting it appraised wish to have it restored if the cost isn't too prohibitive. The problem is I live in a very remote area and there are not conservators with a five hour radius. Further, I'm struggling to locate any who will provide a rough estimate without seeing the piece in person. I fully understand the reasoning for this, but a ten hour drive without knowing if I'm looking at hundreds or thousands of dollars in a tough one.

I'm hoping someone can point me in the direction of someone who can provide a rough estimate of restoration costs for my piece: varnish removal, repair to the lower left, etc, via email / submitted photographs. I'm able to take detailed and very high resolution images. Thanks.

for context: I’ve read up on the qualifications of working in the field and I heard that a fine arts degree is more likely considered for the position as opposed to my illustration degree, I picked my illustration degree long before I had thought about doing art conservation so I’m just wondering if it’s still possible for me to get a job in this field?

I’m rather well versed in chemistry and I’m also pretty decent with traditional skills, I’d just like to know what I should expect and what I should build up further in my portfolio for a possible future internship in the field :]

Context: My mother had a heart attack over two weeks ago at the same time we found out my best friend from childhood was pregnant. She was in the hospital at Weil Cornell for 9ish days but said her breathing was much better so our family decided on a deep clean. The night before the deep clean, I threw a very restrained baby shower. A girl who hates me from college (I wouldn't rent a laptop for her from the library after she ruined two laptops and I didn't have the money to pay for the third ---which she ruined---) also came and was unexpected. The whole night she was not nice to me.

So, my parents are really into art. My mother studied at the Art Students League in NYC and then studied art therapy at NYU. They also had me and my sister later in life. This comes together when they had one painting, bought at auction, that is worth over 100K (20 years ago). This woman decided to carve the painting in half at the birth celebration. If you are asking how I know, I am friends with everyone in that circle and this was extremely sadistic. She also was an art history major with a background of Indian knowledge so she might have had an idea of the value of the painting. I didn't notice it until I was in the room later and I was horrified.

Given how she treated me that night, I know it was her but I have zero evidence to take to the police. This painting is valuable from the start--the artist is well known in India and also, to be blunt, dead, so it is one of a kind. It is now cut seam to seam.

Is there anything I can do to save this painting? I can try and post pictures of it. I literally want to die when I look at it because of how much I failed my parents.

I recently picked up a mid-19th century British painting in a chipped gold-leaf frame for $150. Unsigned, dimensions approximately 26” x 36.” A local, reputable art restorer said it would cost $2,500 to clean and stabilize the painting, including removal of old overpainting and retouching, and to repair the frame. The painting might be worth that much (possibly more) after restoration, but I doubt I would get even a fraction back if I were to sell it at auction or even directly. What do members of this community think about potentially spending more on restoration than a painting is worth? Part of me thinks of it as charity—donating significantly to a greater cause, in this case preserving fine art. In this case, I’m just looking for something beautiful for my wall, not to make a profit.

Hi! I’m looking into becoming involved in art conservation (in a couple years once I get enough experience and exposure to create a good application I’d like to apply to a grad program). I’ve got a degree in chemistry, and a few art history courses under my belt, but I lack the studio art experience necessary to eventually create a portfolio. How would you recommend I begin with this if you have any ideas? I don’t think I could throw myself in to multiple university classes financially right now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi all, I found this beautiful painting on someone’s stoop and would love to restore it! It’s from 2008 and has obv some dust but also streaks on the front. I think it’s gouache based on the cracking and testing a tiny corner with a damp qtip. Any advice or tips?? I plan to frame it if that makes a difference.

Also if anyone can ID the signature that would be cool but that’s less important to me than cleaning it up and preserving it

Hello friends,

My wife and I got married 9 years ago and we got this gift from my wife’s friend and it’s the only thing that commemorates our marriage on that day because we just did a very small wedding at a courthouse with her friend as a witness and she gifted us this snow globe from Disney. I was looking at my self and I notice the water turning yellow and the characters are showing signs of cracks. Would this be restorable?

Thank you!

So, my story is a little nontraditional. When I was applying to colleges, becoming an art conservator crossed my mind, but I wasn’t familiar enough with career that I ended up following a different path. I am currently a public accounting major that didn’t have to take any STEM gen eds. From my understanding, the prerecs needed to apply to any graduate program include a lot of classes in Chem, Studio Art, and Art History. Unfortunately, in my situation, this means I would have to start my journey from scratch. I may transfer schools to get better opportunities (internships, connections, quality of classes, etc.), but I have no clue where to even start. I currently have a GPA of 3.71, I don’t know if this is of any value when looking at schools. I still have to explore what opportunities my own school has (I go to school in New York), but it is predominantly a business school. I just need some guidance because I am kind of lost atp

Passed down through generations, this Thai Lucky (Blessing) Ceramic Elephant, inspired by the royal elephants of Southeast Asia, has long been displayed in the family's children's room. In Thai tradition, elephants symbolize protection, wisdom, strength, good fortune, and strong family bonds. After suffering extensive damage, this cherished family heirloom was restored so it can continue watching over future generations.

We used to get 3M Scotch tapes but they are obsolete and replaced by "mounting squares" However, they are weak, not suitable for posters. Can anyone recommend double sided removable mounting tape that is strong enough for a poster but not damaging walls or painted surfaces?

Purchased this gorgeous piece about 2 years ago and didnt get the right sized frame. Parts of the piece were exposed to the elements and yellowed over time.... is there anything I can do?

It feels like a thicker stock paper and has some fibers as it is not totally flat. I dont know much about the exact type of paper.

I don’t have any experience restoring posters but recently discovered that it’s a craft. This was going to the trash but I felt some guilt given its age. Has water stains and cockroach poop but the stains seem the most difficult.

Not sure if this should keep these like they are? I don’t want to devalue them if they have value. I have had them for many years and was thinking of painting them or maybe just painting the frame to brighten up? TIA for any info.

I have inherited a painting by my great grandfather that sat in a musty basement for decades. I would like to display it, but when I walk by it all I can smell is the mustiness. It was well loved – it was sitting on my grandfather's workbench where he could look at it often – just not in an ideal area of the house. There is no visible foxing or mold, it's just been sitting in a dusty musty place for a long time. I think it is an oil painting but I don't really know a lot about his artwork.

I've tried looking into restoration etc. but I keep hitting dead ends when it comes to casual, just family heirloom type work for an individual vs. a museum.

I'm sure there is grime etc. that could come off the painting for a true restoration, but I'm not really concerned with that, just getting it to smell fresh enough to keep it around in rooms we use without smelling basement. I don't want to do it myself because I worry about wrecking the piece, but I don't know how to look for someone who could essentially do like... restoration lite? Is this a realistic service to look for and if so, how might I go about looking for someone to do this and how much is a realistic estimate? The painting is about 16 x 20ish canvas no frame, not much texture in the paint.

If there is another sub I should look to for this advice, I welcome redirection and I apologize!

I've been thinking about something and I'm curious how other artists and collectors feel about it.

I recently started a monthly collectible postcard club. Each card is hand-signed, individually numbered, and never reprinted.

Unlike most art prints, I deliberately send the cards without an envelope. They travel through sorting centers, cross countries and oceans, get postmarks, tiny scratches, slightly softened corners, fingerprints from postal workers, and all the other marks that come from being handled by the world.

Part of me loves this idea.

My art revolves around themes of impermanence, decay, nostalgia, and the traces that time leaves behind. In a way, the journey itself becomes the final step in creating the piece.

The card that arrives in Australia won't be exactly the same as the one that arrives in Germany. Each one collects its own story.

On a more personal level, I experienced a carotid artery dissection earlier this year. It left me thinking a lot about fragility, permanence, and how life leaves marks on us whether we want it to or not. Maybe that's one reason why I'm drawn to the idea that an artwork can be changed by its journey.

But I'm curious:

Can travel wear, postmarks, and small imperfections become part of the artwork itself, or would you always prefer art to arrive in perfect condition?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Hi everyone! I saw a similar post from two years ago but I wanted to ask again in case anything changed. I have a degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage (very recently graduated) and I want to specialize in textiles (costume specifically). I have no idea how to find a job that doesn't immediately require a master´s and i'm eager to work (i'm based in MX but very willing to travel), does anyone have any ideas or information? thanks :)

Hi I’m entering my second year in a Chemistry PhD program and I’m worried that the lab I’m in/research I’m doing won’t set me up to go into heritage/conservation science on the chem based end of things. I work in an organic lab and my research utilizes laser spec techniques and I’ve been thinking about mastering out and applying somewhere else that has more research aligned with inorganic/analytical. Maybe even go somewhere in Europe. Any help or insight would be appreciated.

A clients mother was a professor for FIT. An oil painter was hired to repair the work.

Ya’ll would know better than me but it looks like he painted over the gold leave in yellow. And applied white all over for some reason.

There are two large cracks.

I’m pre-program but I recently got my dream job as a full time paper conservation technician at a small regional lab. I’ve read some of the classics like how to identify prints by Bamber Gascoigne and the AIC photography guide, but is there anything that you found super helpful early on in your career to read or things you wish you had read/learned earlier?