An Angel Gets Its Wings
Restoring the Deeves Monument in Woodlawn Cemetery
Typically, restoration practice calls for missing or deteriorated materials to be replaced in-kind. However, sometimes different materials are called for, which was the case for the Deeves Monument in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.
The memorial consists of a life-sized, winged angel with outstretched hands holding a garland of flowers. The fine-grained white marble statue sat atop a 30-foot granite column. A storm in 2012 toppled the sculpture destroying both arms and the wings. The arm fragments were salvaged, but the wings were beyond repair.
Figure 1: The Deeves Monument Angel before restoration.
Marble was the most obvious replacement material for the wings. Unfortunately, due to their thin profile and adjacent micro-cracking, what remained of the sculpture’s wings could not support the weight of new stone. After much discussion with the cemetery, all agreed that a substitute, lightweight material would be the best option for replacement with the understanding that the new material would not weather the same as the marble.
JBC considered several options including fiberglass, lightweight concrete, and glass fiber reinforced concrete, before ultimately deciding to use Microcotta, a proprietary urethane polymer-based composite resin filled with glass micro balloons.
JBC took partial molds of the remaining wing and torso of the original sculpture and cast them in plaster. The plaster torso was used to support an armature for each wing constructed of metal, burlap, and plaster. Using photographic documentation of the original statue and other similar works, JBC sculpted the positive model of the wings using polymeric modeling clay (Plasticine).
Figure 2: Positive model of a wing sculpted in Plasticine.
Silicone master molds were taken of the wings which were sent to Freedom Cement LLC and cast in Microcotta. The new wings were then carefully pinned back into place. After reattaching the arms and cleaning the angel, she was returned to her pedestal.
Figure 3: The restored Deeves Monument Angel atop its pedestal.
Finally, as the replacement wings are a different material than the angel, a maintenance and periodic examination plan were provided. Such examinations are critical to guarantee the continued stability of the dissimilar materials.
Although replacement in-kind is always the goal, some conditions may warrant the use of substitute materials. When these repairs are well-designed and thought through, they can ensure the historic resource remains viable and in use for generations to come.