144

5.4 LOSS COMPENSATION AND RETOUCHING

Very disturbing losses in the carved lacquer were filled with pigmented
microcrystalline wax (TeCero 30222/TeCero 30201,

1:1).41

For this, mixtures
 were prepared in six different red tones, pigmented with English red,
iron oxide red, and ochre in various proportions. After the application of
a Plextol separation layer on the lacquer surface or the gaps stabilized with
Plextol and cork, the matching wax mixture was applied with a heated
spatula, shaped with warmed bamboo skewers and carved and polished on
cooling; cold working was sometimes also achieved using a cloth or cotton
swabs moistened with petroleum spirits or acetone, with final polishing
done using a dry cotton cloth (figs. 72 and 73).
Losses in the brown (‘yellow’) lacquer of the patterned sky of the background
were filled in a similar manner: After the removal of overpainting and old
wax fills and consolidation of lifting lacquer layers with the above-mentioned
Plextol mixture, the losses were filled with brown-pigmented wax (ochre,
sienna, umber). The wax was warmed and kneaded with the hand and then
pressed into the loss and formed with small bamboo and steel spatulas.
Sometimes a final acrylic glaze (Golden Fluid Acrylics) was applied (figs. 74
and 75).
Plextol inserts were applied to two large losses in the sky area. The carved
pattern was cast from an intact area with kneadable silicon, a mixture of
Plextol and phenolic resin microballoons and pigments (ochre and others)
cast in the mould, and the positives thus produced were trimmed to fit the
losses. Reversible attachment was achieved using Canadian fish glue;
transitions and air bubbles were smoothed with a brown-pigmented wax
mixture; final retouching was carried out with acrylics (Golden Fluid Acrylics)
 (figs. 76 to 78).

41	 TeCero 30201 microcrystalline wax is obtained from heavy fractions of petrol

eum, solidification point 70–75°C, drop point 76–80°C, Tromm (acquired from
Deffner & Johann, DE); TeCero 30222, microcrystalline wax, solidification point:
80–85°C, hard, good ability to be polished, gloss similar to lacquer.

Christiane Jordan, Silvia Miklin-Kniefacz, and Richard Miklin

Fig. 72: Loss at the lower right corner of the base
(compensation has already begun for the lower meander and
brown layer, c.f. fig. 24).

Fig. 73: Compensation in the corner with red and brown pigmented
 microcrystalline wax.