Please provide us with the following information when submitting an inquiry, and someone from the Trefler’s team will help you determine the next steps.

Please describe your item(s) in as much detail as possible. Information such as dimensions, what materials the item is made of (i.e. wood, plaster, porcelain), and your item’s current condition are all very helpful for our experts to make an accurate estimate.

We suggest providing at least three .jpg images per item. These should include; one image of the entire object, and detailed views of the area(s) of damage and/or pieces. 

If you are submitting an inquiry for painting restoration, please provide an additional photograph of the back of the canvas.

Our team will review all inquiries and assess the best course of action to suit your needs.

We look forward to hearing from you.

 


Announcements

The restoration of the George Frisbie Hoar bookcases

Recently Trefler’s restoration was chosen to restore 7 eight foot tall wooden bookcases belonging to a Metro West resident. As the project unfolded, Trefler’s was able to bring the bookcases back to their original state and in addition, learned more about the history of the bookcases, as well as about the family themselves. A fascinating story and restoration process emerged.

The eight foot tall classically influenced bookcases and card catalogue restored by Trefler’s originally belonged to George Frisbie Hoar, an American attorney and politician. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1852-1853), a Massachusetts State Senator (1857-1858), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1869-1877) and represented Massachusetts for 27 years in the U.S. Senate from 1877 until his death in 1904. From his 1904 eulogy in the Congressional Record an excerpt read “To see Senator Hoar among his books in his own library was to see him at his best.”

The bookcases traveled from Hoar’s residence in Worcester, MA to Washington D.C. and most recently to the residence of his great-great grandson in Metrowest Boston. In recent years, these unique classical pieces sustained both water and transit-related damages. Trefler’s was commissioned to reverse these damages in order to restore the bookcases to their former glory. Founded in 1921, Trefler’s specializes in fine art and antique restoration with a focus on maintaining the integrity of fine and applied artworks through the preservation of original materials and finishes. All of our work is completed by hand by trained artists and conservators.

For this set of 7 bookcases built with classical architectural influences, Trefler’s focused on fabricating missing sections of the dentils which decorate the crown molding and fabricating capitals which sit atop the columns separating each bookcase.  Further restoration included finish conservation which blended areas of color and finish loss. We also secured the joints of the bases, back panels, and all existing architectural elements. After repairing and leveling the plinths of each section, we refit each door to operate smoothly. Fabrication included duplication of separating columns, crown molding, architectural scrolls, trim moldings, and finally frame and panel side sections. 

This extensive project highlights Trefler’s aptitude for design, traditional craftsmanship, and historically appropriate attention to detail. The bookcases have been delivered, installed and secured in the client’s home library and the shelves now display the family’s extensive collection of books, many of which were also inherited from Senator Hoar.

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