Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Every July I look forward to picking wild blueberries at our farm in Upstate New York and showcase the bounty in various pieces from my collection of make-do’s. Pictured first is one from this weekend, followed by examples from summers past. For more information, click on each of these previous posts: Nanking reticulated basket, c.1750, “King’s Rose” pearlware bowl, c.1850, Chinese footed dish with fort scene, c.1840, and Pierced creamware fruit basket stand, c.1790.

Three cheers for the red, white, and blue make-do! Happy July 4th to our American friends.

I just returned from a memorable trip to Italy and in addition to eating my way from Rome to Naples, I spotted quite a few examples of inventive repairs. Although I didn’t find many make-do’s hiding in plain sight in the many museums I visited, I did find these outdoor repairs.

In the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum, I came across a pair of partially buried earthenware jars with multiple cracks at a thermopolium (cook-shop.) Both jars have multiple butterfly inlay repairs made from what appears to be wood or resin.

As you can imagine, the ruins of Pompeii are home to many early repairs. I mean, the city itself is practically one giant make-do. Long ago, most of the important artifacts were moved to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, yet I was still able to find a few early repairs left behind.

This large cylindrical jar with a rolled rim and a decorative foot was sitting next to a trash receptacle and showed many ancient battle scars. Overscaled iron rivets have done a terrific job of holding it together for hundreds of years.

The Fountain of Mercury in region VI of Pompeii is host to a quartet of enormous iron clips.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Roman Forum, where I found a bird sitting serenely on a carved chunk of stone with large metal braces.

In December 2018, Mark and I took a trip to Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. In addition to taking in the lush landscapes with breathtaking views, I spied many an inventive repair at local museums and historical sites within in the cities. The small and charming Bangkokian Museum in Bangkok boasted a few make-do’s hidden in plain view. In addition to spotting the more familiar staple/rivet repairs on ceramics, I was surprised to find an unusual repair on the glass display cabinet, effectively and efficiently using wire and metal coins to stabilize cracks in the glass. Definitely a first for me!

In 2005 I was asked by ceramic artist Ayumi Horie to submit images for Pots in Action, a new Instagram page she was creating. The objective was to show ceramics in use, and she thought it would be fun to show some of my wounded survivors. These are the results, photographed by my talented husband Mark. I’m thrilled with how they came out and hope you like them as much as I do. Thank you Ayumi and Mark!

This is the only heart shaped metal brace I have seen. For more photos and details, please check out Heart-shaped metal brace on Chinese bowl, c.1770.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and if you happen to have a broken heart, I hope at least it is mending well with with staples, braces, or gold.

Thank you to all of the unnamed itinerant china & dish menders, tinkers, and repairers of all things broken throughout the world.