Her work on globes and fans

Whether they are centuries or just a few years old, globes and fans are fragile objects, often damaged by time or use. Acquired at a high price or found for a penny, they are precious to those who own them and always deserve to be restored. From the beginning and despite their best intentions, some owners or sellers proceed to interventions that can be detrimental to the good keeping of globes and fans.

Restorations carried out according to the rules of this art…

Contemporary restoration, as practiced by Yolaine Voltz, follows a very strict code of ethics based on scientific data and taking into account the successive layers of the work’s history. Before any intervention, she analyses the object as a whole, with its past, its wounds, its modifications and a concern for its transmission. The slightest restoration must be reversible so that, if necessary, it can be removed without damaging the support. Thus, chromatic retouching is carried out on a protective layer that forms a barrier between the old and new paint, allowing for correction or erasure. Derived from modern chemistry, the products used by L’Utile Zéphyr have proven themselves: neutral, stable over time, without risk of yellowing, cracking, etc. As for the materials, they can be made from scratch or come from scraps/authentic elements or old irreparable works.

… but not at any price

Once the diagnosis has been made, Yolaine offers her clients the most appropriate level of intervention depending on the value of the object. From the minimalist restoration intended to stabilise its condition to the illusionist one which will restore an object , its integrity and appearance, without aiming at making it”new”, there is a whole range of operations available.

The options are discussed with the owner of the work in order to determine his or her expectations as well as the possibilities open to the restorer. Yolaine provides documents on each restoration, in particular through photos of the objects taken before and after her intervention, which are then transmitted to her clients. For public institutions or on request, she produces a “restoration report” which traces each of the stages and can serve as a reference.

And sometimes several handed

Often a solitary activity, the restoration of works of art is sometimes carried out in collaboration with specialized art craftsmen. Independent in her work, she calls on colleagues when it is necessary to intervene on the wood or metal base of a globe, because woodworking or ironworking is a different trade from hers. Similarly, a missing element on a fan may require the intervention of a lacemaker, a jeweller or a goldsmith.

Fans and globes. Globes and fans… Thanks to these two objects, Yolaine practices her profession as a restorer at the junction between the arts and sciences. Two passions that nourish her know-how, enrich her experience and arouse her curiosity.