How to Preserve Antique Baskets and Woven Fibre
Baskets may combine cane, willow, grasses, bark, dyed fibre and repairs from different periods. Lift with two hands under the base, not by handles. Use sof
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Care & Preservation
34 published guides on repair, care and the stories behind well-made things.
How to Protect Wax Seals on Old Documents
Wax seals can preserve heraldic, legal and personal evidence, but they chip easily and may hang from vulnerable cords or tags. Handle the document and seal
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How to Care for Asian Lacquerware
Historic Asian lacquer can be exquisitely layered, carved, sprinkled or inlaid. Its surface may be sensitive to light, humidity shifts and cleaning materia
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How to Care for Antique Wooden Bowls and Treen
Treen includes small functional objects made from wood: bowls, boxes, spoons, cups and domestic wares. Dust with a soft brush or cloth, supporting thin han
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How to Care for Jet Jewellery and Ornaments
Jet is an organic material formed from fossilised wood and was widely used in nineteenth-century mourning jewellery. Support strings and fittings, keep pie
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How to Care for Tortoiseshell and Shell Inlay
Tortoiseshell and shell were used in boxes, jewellery and furniture inlay. Thin sheets can warp, split and lift as humidity changes. Support the whole obje
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How to Care for Enamelled Metal Objects
Vitreous enamel is glass fused to metal. It can be durable yet brittle, especially where the supporting metal bends or corrodes. Lift from the body, not ha
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How to Care for Historic Taxidermy
Historic taxidermy can contain fragile skin, feathers, fur, glass, wire, wood and old pest-control residues. Avoid touching and do not eat or drink nearby.
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How to Care for Antique Ivory, Bone, Horn and Antler Objects
Handle, store and dust antique organic objects while reducing staining, cracking, pests and environmental damage.
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How to Care for an Antique Mechanical Clock
Position, handle and maintain an antique clock while protecting its movement, case, dial, weights and pendulum.
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How to Care for Antique Leather Objects
Protect antique leather from light, damp, dryness, mould, abrasion and damaging dressings or household cleaners.
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How to Store and Frame Antique Prints and Drawings
Protect prints, watercolours and drawings from light, acidity, poor hinges, surface contact and unsafe handling.
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