Balustrade Reset

The Ringling Museum of Art, located in Sarasota, Florida, is an art museum founded by John and Mable Ringling. John Ringling was one of the five brothers who owned and operated the Ringling Circus, notably titled “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Like many of the wealthy elite of the early 20th century, John began collecting art and gradually built a significant collection. In 1925, John decided to build a structure to not only house this collection, but to also provide a space where people could visit and admire it. The museum was built near his winter home in Sarasota, Florida and was designed by John H. Phillips. Phillips designed the museum in the Renaissance Revival style, modeling it on the Florentine Uffizi Gallery. The building was constructed in a u-shape, with a large courtyard in the center to house a sculpture garden. The museum first opened in 1930 and, upon his death in 1936, was bequeathed to the people of Florida.

Our conservators were tasked to repair a stone balustrade railing in the center courtyard of the museum. The stone had previously cleaved into two pieces and was no longer connected to the rest of the railing. We worked with restoration firm Standard Restoration to repair the balustrade railing and reattach it to its base. Holes were tapped into both sides of the railing pieces where they had cleaved and were adhered together using stainless steel pins and epoxy. The repaired stone was then reattached to the rest of the railing using epoxy and mortar.