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Hello,

 

I am an Icon Accredited independent conservator, specialising in works of art on paper, archives and maps. No matter how bad the situation, I can usually help.  I stabilise, repair and restore objects that have been damaged or simply degraded through time, on behalf of both institutions and private clients.

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I was a conservator at the British Library, during which time I conserved and repaired maps, parchment, manuscripts, watercolours, gouaches, books, pamphlets, papyrus, birch bark, posters, prints, archives, albums, textile pattern albums, globes and fans- both paper and textiles- within a national institution and steward of our national heritage. I am a contractor to Tate and National Portrait Gallery. My CV and qualifications are available on the Miscellanea tab. I have been running my own studio for seven years.

 

I am an member of The Institue of Conservation. I was on the Book and Paper Group Committee for ten years, and was  Chair from 2013-2016. I am a founder member of The Book and Paper Gathering weblog https://thebookandpapergathering.org and run the Book and Paper Gathering Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/thebookandpapergathering/.

 

I try to keep the history of the object, and to respect all tangible and intangible aspects of the object. Objects are collected by museum and collectors whose museum or collectible meaning, over the years might change; that is the reason why, as conservators, we have  to respect all the aspects of the object. You will see an example of this in my gallery pages, on a Tibetan item that is centuries old and still smells of the incense of hundreds of years. When it was acquired by my clients, it had come straight from a monastery. The monks had repaired the pages over the centuries, from using old paper to  which include textile sticking plasters which had become tacky. This dimension of the object's history was to be kept and the tricky problem of the pages tacking to each other was solved by designing a special housing for the leaves to keep the repairs of the monks.

 

•  Surveys and consultations

•  Comprehensive reporting to DCMS standards

•  Preparation for digitisation programmes and can work from your premises, provided you have a conservation studio, or at my workshop

• Exhibition and private matting and mounting to museum standards 

 
Work begins with a consultation with you. The value of the object can be financial, sentimental, historical,  so the guidance of the client is crucial in understanding the values to be conserved and a guide the treatment. Observation of the object is key to create an estimate, which is usually free of charge*; with a condition report of the damage to your object to date. From this, the estimate of main conservation steps is drawn up, and where possible, different options for treatment, with listed hours and materials which will be used to conserve the object. Your approval of the estimate is sought at this point and, if accepted, a contract of Terms and Conditions is approved.

 

A report of the treatments undertaken on the object is provided along with advice on preventing future problems, as well as a suitable storage solution. Treatments are the current best-practice in the conservation field: all materials archival and optimised to enhance the lifetime of your object.  Work is covered by a professional indemnity insurance. My fees are £55 per hour and a charge is made for materials. I do not normally offer a transport service and, for peace of mind, any transport insurance you require should be arranged prior to transit.

 

Please go to the Contact page and leave a message, I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Isabelle Egan, 2022

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* Multiple object or complex estimates may be charged if tender is not accepted.