A family porcelain vase falls from a shelf. A handle comes away from an antique vessel. A treasured ceramic breaks during a move. The natural response is often to gather the fragments and glue them together immediately. With an important object, that decision is best postponed.
The first steps after a break can influence the possibilities for future restoration. As an art restorer, I recommend protecting what remains before trying to recover the object’s shape.
Keep every fragment
Carefully collect the fragments, including small chips, without injuring yourself or handling them more than necessary. A seemingly insignificant fragment may hold part of a painted design, a glaze border or a section of the original surface. Keeping it provides more options for preserving the original material.
Protect each fragment separately with clean, soft wrapping and place the pieces in a rigid, padded box so that they cannot knock together. Broken edges should not rub against each other. Avoid repeatedly testing the fit, and do not apply adhesive tape directly to decoration or fracture surfaces.
Why not glue the pieces back immediately?
Household adhesives are not all suitable for antique ceramics. Depending on their formulation and the ceramic’s porosity, they may leave residues, penetrate fracture surfaces or complicate later treatment. A slightly misaligned join can also prevent the remaining fragments from fitting correctly.
For a piece of artistic, historical or significant sentimental value, keep the fragments unglued until an appropriate treatment has been considered. Avoid scraping, sanding or aggressive cleaning of broken edges. Leave any existing repairs in place for examination: they may be part of the object’s history.
Illusionistic restoration or traditional kintsugi?
Illusionistic restoration aims to make an intervention visually discreet. Depending on the piece, it may reconstruct missing forms, colours or decorative details to restore visual continuity.
Traditional kintsugi leaves fractures visible, highlighted with a precious finish, usually gold. The break remains present and contributes to a new reading of the object.
Neither approach is universally preferable. The choice depends on the piece, its history, its condition and the purpose of the treatment. Conservation requirements may call for another solution or a more limited intervention.
Restoration begins with examination
Before defining a treatment, I examine the ceramic material, the condition of its body and glaze, previous repairs and the extent of missing sections. Any known information about age and provenance helps complete that assessment.
Future use also matters. An antique dish preserved in a collection raises different questions from a bowl intended for regular use. With antique ceramics, a repair should never be assumed to make the object suitable for food or drink.
This examination makes it possible to propose a treatment that responds to the object, rather than choosing an adhesive or finish in advance.
Entrusting a piece to the studio
I undertake a limited number of traditional kintsugi restorations using natural urushi lacquer and precious metals. The studio gives priority to collectible pieces, objects of artistic or historical interest and selected individual projects.
For an initial enquiry, please briefly describe the object, its history, the damage and the budget you are considering. Photographs are not required at this stage. If the project is suitable, I will ask for the information needed for a more detailed assessment.
Submit a restoration enquiry or explore the stages of traditional kintsugi practised at the studio.
For further guidance on those first steps, see the Canadian Conservation Institute’s advice on caring for ceramics and glass.
