This classical marble figure is attributed to D.V. Florence and measures nearly one metre high. It arrived at Plowden & Smith’s workshop with various old repairs, losses to the carving and a partially degraded surface. The figure had, in the past, broken free from its base and the right ankle had been damaged as a result. Past restoration resulted in misaligned joints which were overfilled with cement and the figure had various lost components including his nose and a finger. Numerous unsightly and discoloured deep erosion channels were visible running vertically on the figure.

The conservation and restoration treatment objectives were to:

• Re-align the figure and remove old over-filled repairs
• Restore the areas of loss to reinstate its form in order to achieve maximum aesthetic appreciation

It was necessary to remove the cement with careful, mechanical picking. To enable the safe dismantling of the base and shattered foot, a wooden support frame was constructed, which also allowed the components to be reassembled with a much improved alignment. Firm yet flexible internal dowels were installed and the joint was sympathetically colour matched. The lost components were re-carved from a new block of marble and reinstated to appear as invisible repairs. The carved marble restoration was carefully shaped to fit the areas of loss. This is a much more time consuming but ethical process than the more common method of cutting back the original break edges to square them off, as it retains all of the original material. The erosion channels were also filled and carefully toned-in to blend with the rest of the figure. All of this restoration work is fully reversible.