First of all, we love monument gilding. Luckily, the Society of Gilders recently invited us to assist on a restoration project at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, just across the river from Washington, DC.
Above all, this beautiful monument contains carved letters with gold leaf, which had not aged well. Recently, master gilders restored the monument to its former glory using the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the years. In short, participating in such an important monument gilding project is an honor, and one that carries profound significance.
Monument gilding restored this beautiful statue
For example, this detailed photo shows the deteriorated gold leaf. Most importantly, we did our best to replace the failed leaf. Likewise, the artists worked as a team to reface all of the gold letters, bringing this iconic memorial back to life. In conclusion, the artists succeeded, and we look forward to our next historical gold leaf restoration, although these projects are hard to come by. Our shop is in Edgewater, Maryland.
Learn more about the Marine Corps Memorial
Making a memorial and moving it to DC
Joe Rosenthal, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press photographer, took the famous flag-raising photo. First, sculptor Felix W. de Weldon, serving in the US Navy at the time, built a scale model and then a life-size model of the photograph. Next, he modeled the faces of Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, and John Bradley in clay. Historians think these three men survived the flag-raising event, while Japanese defenders killed the others during the Battle of Iwo Jima. However, we now know that John Bradley did not raise the flag in the famous image.
Likewise, artists carefully took the statue apart after casting it in plaster and transported it to Brooklyn, N.Y., for bronze casting. A series of skilled artisans worked on the casting process for nearly three years. First, they cast, cleaned, finished, and chased the parts, and then reassembled them into about a dozen pieces, the largest weighing over 20 tons. Next, trucks carried the pieces back to Washington, DC. Finally, metal workers assembled the statue with welding and bolts.
Contact Designs & Signs
The quickest way to get started on your project is to send us an email.
We can also be reached by phone at (410) 798-5115.