Every now and again clients or acquainted conservators come to us with objects consisting partly of leather. This chair is such an example and was brought to us by upholsterer André Lunsingh. The owner wanted to save the leather of the chair’s seat, which had suffered serious water damage. Aged vegetable tanned leather becomes black and brittle when in contact with water. It looks like it is burned. This is an irreversible process. We therefore replaced the most affected areas of the leather.
Before removing the darkened surface layer, we made a rubbing of the pattern. The rubbing we used to make a line drawing on the new leather. By using moist and by working the leather with a bone folder the three-dimensional image was created. The toned and worked leather inlays of the new, vegetable tanned leather were stuck onto the original lather.
Lunsingh upholstery dismounted and remounted the seat saving the original foundation upholstery and nails.