SCULPTURE CONDITION ASSESSMENT
Name of Sculpture: "Spirit of the American
Doughboy" Artist: Ernest Moore Viquesney
(1876-1946)
Date: Erected ca. 1927
Material: brazed copper-alloy sheet sculpture with cast bronze
plaque on limestone pedestal.
Location: 601 W. Main St.,
Emittsburg, MD Client: Town of
Emmitsburg
Service Requested: Condition Assessment and Treatment
Proposal for sculpture as damaged by vehicle.
Sculpture Condition Assessment
Introduction
Wellman Conservation LLC was contracted by the Town of Emmitsburg, MD
to assess the condition of the World War I memorial titled "Spirit of the American
Doughboy", located at 601 W. Main St., Emmitsburg. The memorial was struck by
a vehicle in June 2015, suffering damage to be detailed below.
Howard Wellman of Wellman Conservation inspected the monument on July
9, 2015. The examination consisted of a visual inspection with the naked eye and a
10x hand lens and solvent testing of the sculpture surface. The notes below were
documented with digital photography.
For administrative purposes, this assessment report and associated
conservation costs are separated into accident and non-accident related findings.
Description
The monument consists of a life-size soldier wearing full WWI battle gear
posed as if crossing a battle-field in the act of throwing a grenade. The figure is
mounted to a self-base sculpted to represent the ground, including a tree stump
and barbed-wire. The figure is made of molded copper-alloy sheets brazed
together. We assume that there is an internal steel or iron armature.
The figure is mounted to the masonry by means of a two inch steel or iron
pipe that projects upwards into the figure via the proper left leg (connecting to the
presumed armature), and down an unknown distance into the masonry. The selfbase was caulked to the masonry.
The bronze plaque (2'x4') has an American eagle with spread wings over a
shield and flags. The names of those of who served are in raised letters. The
plaque is attached to the masonry with four visible square-headed corner bolts, and
the seams are caulked.
The pedestal is made of grey-white oolitic limestone (oolite structure is
visible with a hand-lens). The pedestal is in three major sections. The base is
constructed of four stone pieces; two are 9"x50"x14", two are 9.5"x31.5"xl4". The
four pieces were set onto a concrete and brick foundation at grade with unidentified
mortar. They were set to form a hollow square. The die is 38"x38"x50", set
without visible mortar onto the base pieces. The cap stone is 50"x50"xl 2" with a
chamfered top edge and a cove undercut bottom edge.It appears to be set onto the
die without mortar.
Historical Information
The sculpture is a stock item produced after World War I; there are similar
sculptures in Crisfield and Williamsport, MD.
The sculpture was restored in 1984 by Eleftherios Karkadoulias of Cincinnatti,
OH (the company is no longer in business). At that time, any historical patina was
removed by glass-bead peening (the microscopic pitting resulting from this process
is visible with a hand lens). A proprietary patina and coating was then applied,
leaving the sculpture with a color palette of bright metal and black patina. The bronze
plaque was given a similar treatment. In 1984 the pedestal was also replaced.
This assessor consulted with several colleagues about the Karkadoulias
coating. It is a mixture of unidentified resins that resist most chemical solvents,
but has a history of allowing pin-prick corrosion via "holidays" that form in the resin
coat as it cures.
Overall Condition
After being struck, the monument came to rest in multiple pieces. The die
and base pieces were knocked almost clear of the foundation. The doughboy
remained connected to the capstone which fell almost straight down, coming to rest
at an approximately 45 degree angle. The bronze plaque remained attached to the
die.
Damage due to the accident
Sculpture
The copper-alloy sculpture has appeared to suffer only minor damage due to
the accident. We discovered one split seam on the proper right lower edge of the
soldier's tunic with bright edges, suggesting a newly opened tear. This split is
approximately three inches in length, and has opened up as much as ¼”. It is
located where bending stresses would have been focused as the sculpture dropped
and leaned backward. There are numerous other split seams, some may have been
microscopic cracks that opened up visibly on the impact.
The sculpture has been partially separated from the capstone. This has
caused failure of the caulked seam and possible distortion of the lip of the selfbase. It will only be possible to determine the extent of distortion when the
sculpture is righted.
Plaque
The bronze plaque appears to have been struck directly by the vehicle. It is still
firmly attached to the die, but there is an area approximately 6"x6" where the
letters have been mashed and smeared. The names are still legible. Because of
the physical damage to the surface, the 1984 coating must be considered
compromised and will have to be replaced.
There are traces of red paint smeared into the bronze surface.
Pedestal
Three of the four base pieces have suffered only minor damage in the form of
chipped and abraded edges and corners. The fourth is broken into two large
pieces, with some additional damage to edges and corners. It was not possible to
examine all the edges as the capstone was still resting on the pieces.
The die came to rest on its proper right side. There is damage to most of the
visible edges and corners, consisting of spalls ranging from one to three inches
wide by up to two feet long. The down-ward face and edges could not be inspected
for damage.
The capstone suffered the most damage. When it hit the ground, a large
area of stone was splintered off the rear chamfered top edge, losing approximately
90% of that edge, an area approximately 30"x 9"x4". There was other damage to
edges and corners also.
Treatment Recommendations
The monument will have to be fully disassembled by a qualified art mover and
masonry team using appropriate lifting gear, padding, and safety procedures. The
pedestal will then be reassembled and repaired using one of the various options detailed
below. The sculpture and plaque will need some repair and maintenance work as
noted below.
The client, in consultation with historic preservation professionals, should
determine the best method of repair where there are options.
Repair Due to Accident
1. Disassemble monument and clear the foundation; set the sculpture aside for work
prior to reassembly.
2. Sculpture Repair:
a. Repair the torn seams by :
i. Grind out old brazing or solder with a Dremel tool and abrasive
wheel.
ii. Reshape the seam edges by heating and gentle hammering
iii. Re-braze with a phosphor-copper brazing compound. Harris 0%
silver PhosCopper Brazing is recommended.
http://www.harrisproductsgrou p.com/en/Products/ Alloys/Brazin
g/Phos-Copper/Ha rris-0.aspx
b. Shape the brazed joins with Dremel abrasive bits.
c. Repatinate the new brazing with Liver of Sulfur patina solution.
d. Apply a protective microcrystalline wax coating over the repaired
areas.
3. Plaque Repair
a. Remove paint smears with appropriate solvent.
b. Potentially reshape the damaged letters by careful chasing and
hammering.
c. Apply a protective microcrystalline wax coating to the plaque to
replace the coating lost due to damage.
4. Masonry Repair Options
a. Replacement of all damaged stone with new stones matching the
original oolitic limestone:
i. Reset the four base blocks (three original, one new) on the
foundation with appropriate setting mortar.
ii. Reset the new die on the base.
iii. Reset the new capstone on the base.
iv. Reset the sculpture on the pedestal; reset the plaque on the
new die.
b. OR Reuse of damaged stones with restoration mortar patches:
i. Reset the four base blocks on the foundation with appropriate
setting mortar. The broken base block can be re-used.It will
have to be joined with an appropriate masonry adhesive, but
the join is not under tension from the rest of the monument.
ii. Reset the existing die on the base. The damage to the die edges
is aesthetic only and can be repaired by carving out the damaged
areas and in-filling with an appropriate color-matched masonry
restoration mortar (e.g., Jahn M70 limestone patching mortar). This
will require the skills of a Jahn-qualified historic restoration mason
or conservator.
iii. Reset the existing capstone on the die. Carve out the damaged
areas and in-fill with an appropriate color-matched masonry
restoration mortar (e.g., Jahn M70 limestone patching mortar). This
will require the skills of a Jahn-qualified historic restoration mason or
conservator.
iv. Reset the sculpture on the pedestal. The sculpture's self-base
should NOT be caulked to the masonry as caulking prevents the
interior condensation from draining and evaporating away.
v. NOTE that Jahn mortar repairs will only approximate the original
stone color and texture and will remain visibly different in
appearance.
Treatment
ACCIDENT RELATED
1. Removal of statue for storage by a qualified art mover
2. Removal of old masonry and disposal of old stone by qualified art mover
3. Reinstallation of statue by qualified art mover
4. Reinstallation of masonry after repairs
5. Masonry – repair of old elements with Jahn Restoration Mortar
6. Sculpture repairs – rebrazing of broken seams, repatination and hot-wax coating
7. Plaque repairs:
a. Re-shaping of damaged letters
b. Removal of paint smears
c. Recoating of heat-applied microcrystalline wax
8. Replace Plaque (OPTION)