Fine Art and Artifact Restoration Services

The restoration of fine art objects whether modern or ancient involves the conservation treatment of ceramics, carvings in stone, wood, bone, ivory, jade and other material.  Any work of art damaged through negligence, or simply as a result of time passing typically needs to undergo this process. The goal is to return the object to its original condition or as close as one can possibly get. Experts are needed at this time to ensure further damage isn’t done to the piece, as this field is constantly improving and new techniques come into play. We here at Stoetzer, Inc. work with fine art every day to ensure the pieces are handled properly at every stage of the process. Following are some areas we specialize in, although we can work with any piece of art or turn to our network of specialists to assist us in this task.

Our Specialties

Individuals and organizations often turn to us for assistance with the restoration of sculpted and painted Mayan ceramics, as this is our area of expertise, and we have earned an excellent reputation for our quality of work in this area. They then learn that we can assist with numerous other types of art, and they receive our impeccable attention to detail no matter what job we are asked to undertake.

We’ve prepared Pre-Columbian collections for publications and exhibitions in both the United States, Europe, and Central America. In addition, our extensive experience with Chinese and Ancient Near Eastern art, along with works from numerous other countries and indigenous cultures, allows people to have confidence in our ability to restore objects from those lands. As a result of our extensive knowledge, we have restored more Pre-Columbian art in our studio than any major museum in America.

Before making a purchase, individuals frequently turn to us for authentication of artwork, knowing each piece receives the care and attention seen in our restoration process. We study and examine each piece carefully, which has helped us earn a reputation for outstanding work. In fact, many of our clients refuse to purchase art until it has undergone our examination and approval process.

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Pre-Columbian Art

Many lands and cultures of the New World produced what is called Pre-Columbian art, and we have restored pieces from virtually all the countries in Central America, South America, and North America. These items were made from many materials that were commonly used by ancient man and in many instances were used very creatively and with great craftsmanship. We have treated and restored many objects that are now exhibited in museum collections throughout the world and we are known for our knowledge, experience, and skill in this field.

Mayan Art

Art collectors love the fine qualities on painted and sculpted Mayan ceramics, and we have specialized in restoring these pieces. Over the years, we have restored some of the great masterpieces of this culture, that are now published in many books on the Maya. Among the most desirable of Maya vases are the Codex style.  They are characterized by a cream colored background, bordered on the top and bottom with a red rim. The painted imagery and hieroglyphs are done with a delicate fluid black line and a number of the artists have been identified by the qualities of their style and technique. We have been privileged to work on many of the finest Codex style vases that are known and the results of our restoration are also published in many books. Some notable projects we have accomplished were the restoration of monumental stucco masks,  a Maya stone throne,  and other architectural elements. Perhaps we are best known in the restoration of Maya art because of our work on elaborate Maya jade mosaic funerary masks, both life-size and miniatures.  In the 1960’s there was only one known in the world and that was the mask of Pacal from Palenque, Mexico. In 1968, A bagful of 164  jade piece was brought to us to be restored, not knowing what the original form had been.  After three years of research and microscopic study, it was successfully restored and met the approval of all of the Maya experts at that time. Today, more than 120 Maya jade mosaic masks are known in the world and our firm has restored by our firm nearly 100 of those. Our niche of expertise for ancient jade works is well-known world wide. With our help, mosaics which fell apart in tombs for more than a thousand years have once again become beautiful effigies of the Lords and Deities they once honored.

Chinese Art

Over the years, we have restored a wide range of ceramics originating in China, and these pieces have come from many different periods in history. In fact, we prepared 1,000 ceramics for the 1987 exhibit of Chinese ceramics in Israel in our Miami studio. We have cleaned, treated and restored virtually every type of Chinese ceramic, earthenware, stoneware and porcelain that are known and from all the major periods and dynasties of Chinese history.

Other Cultures

In addition to the above-mentioned specialties, we also restore ancient ceramics from Classical Antiquities, Ancient Near-Eastern and Islamic ceramics, Italian Renaissance Maiolica and many other periods of art. For those with modern pieces needing to be restored, we can also help, as we have worked on ceramics from modern masters Picasso and Miro to contemporary potters such as Richard DeVore and Peter Voulkos. In the event we come across a piece we don’t have experience with, we turn to our large network of professionals and refer clients to the one or ones that will be the most capable to aid them.

Visit our website today to see examples of our work. In addition, we are happy to discuss your needs with you in regards to restoration, conservation, or authentication. Our goal is to serve you in any way we can with regards to your art collection. All you need to do is ask.