Whaleman Sculpture

The 1921 Sculpture By Bela Lyon Pratt was covered with a layer of corrosion intermingled with degrading coatings, making the exquisite details of artwork difficult to see. The spear tip had been broken off the sculpture several times and the area around the loss was damaged. The stone surfaces were covered with a layer soiling and particulates, the mortar between the stone sections had degraded.

The surface was cleaned of old coatings and corrosion products using techniques designed not to damage original surfaces. The surface was re-patinated to match the original intended surface coloration. The bronze was coated with an acrylic resin formulated for use on outdoor copper-alloys. The missing spear tip was re-cast in bronze and re-installed mechanically to the sculpture. The granite was cleaned and the joints were raked and re-pointed using a mortar mix appropriate for historic stone.

Daedalus has conserved several hundred outdoor bronze sculptures over the past 30 years and we view it is one of our specialties.

‍

See more about this project on SouthCoast Today.