Excerpts from an article in the Herald Sun 'newHome' magazine ~
Sept, 1998
Michelle arrived in Australia from the Soviet Union in 1976.
She has always been passionate about antique china and in her
homeland worked at restoring any pieces she could lay her hands
on. She studied books on porcelain and often corresponded with
restorers, particularly in America, but says she is 70% self-taught.
When she discovered there were only six porcelain restorers
in Melbourne she knew it was time to open her first business.
Her studio is slightly daunting. There is an extraordinary
mixture of valuable and modern ceramics, porcelain and
glassware, all broken and waiting to be repaired.
Michelle says to work with antique porcelain you need to be
thoroughly familiar with the original techniques used by the many
factories through the centuries.
Where possible, broken pieces are glued together and any
imperfections along the cracks are filled. A delicate sanding
smoothes the surface so it it impossible to feel the break. The
design is then hand-painted on, matching the colours perfectly.
The piece is baked, re-glazed, and baked again. Michelle claims
you simply cannot tell where she has repaired china. Glass, of
course, is a different matter, but repairing means you are able to
use the glass and stop the crack from worsening.
So expert has she become that she now lists antique dealers
as well as private collectors among her clients. (She also repairs
ivory and brassware).
Full restoration can be very expensive because it takes such a
lot of time. But if the piece is very old it is worth it. If you have
a piece of modern china you can have it properly repaired, rather
than restored. Michelle says she can repair 60 per cent of the
glassware brought in to her.
Michelle's own passion is for early Chelsea (1745 - 1784),
Bow (1744-1776) and Meissen, around the same period. She is
also particularly interested in collecting broken pieces of china.
Story Penny Smith
Picture Mark Taylor
Sept, 1998
Michelle arrived in Australia from the Soviet Union in 1976.
She has always been passionate about antique china and in her
homeland worked at restoring any pieces she could lay her hands
on. She studied books on porcelain and often corresponded with
restorers, particularly in America, but says she is 70% self-taught.
When she discovered there were only six porcelain restorers
in Melbourne she knew it was time to open her first business.
Her studio is slightly daunting. There is an extraordinary
mixture of valuable and modern ceramics, porcelain and
glassware, all broken and waiting to be repaired.
Michelle says to work with antique porcelain you need to be
thoroughly familiar with the original techniques used by the many
factories through the centuries.
Where possible, broken pieces are glued together and any
imperfections along the cracks are filled. A delicate sanding
smoothes the surface so it it impossible to feel the break. The
design is then hand-painted on, matching the colours perfectly.
The piece is baked, re-glazed, and baked again. Michelle claims
you simply cannot tell where she has repaired china. Glass, of
course, is a different matter, but repairing means you are able to
use the glass and stop the crack from worsening.
So expert has she become that she now lists antique dealers
as well as private collectors among her clients. (She also repairs
ivory and brassware).
Full restoration can be very expensive because it takes such a
lot of time. But if the piece is very old it is worth it. If you have
a piece of modern china you can have it properly repaired, rather
than restored. Michelle says she can repair 60 per cent of the
glassware brought in to her.
Michelle's own passion is for early Chelsea (1745 - 1784),
Bow (1744-1776) and Meissen, around the same period. She is
also particularly interested in collecting broken pieces of china.
Story Penny Smith
Picture Mark Taylor
