Holden Chapel Pediment Sculptures

The West side pediment sculptures on Holden Chapel were fabricated in the 1760's, making the grouping one of the first European inspired outdoor sculptures in the United States. The East side pediment were fabricated to match in early 1900's. Aside from multiple over-painting campaigns and an occasional added fastener the sculpture groups and backboards had received limited intervention over the years. In 2019, inspections by the design team (BCA, Bruner Cott) identified numerous points of damage on the sculptures and backboards; testing revealed over 30 layers of paint on the surface.

Daedalus removed the pediment sculptures from the building and brought them back to our studio for treatment. The work included removing the layers of degraded paint, repairing damage to the sculptures, designing a new fastening system and repainting the sculptures the match the original surface coloration. Onsite, the backboards and decorative door frames were cleaned of degraded paint, repaired and repainted. The sculptures were installed.