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An experienced conservator is restoring a pair of 200-year-old sabers in the National Guard Memorial Museum artifact collection.
The sabers belonged to father and son militiamen, Abel and Harvey Chapin.
Abel fought in the American Revolution. His sword with an ivory hilt was stained green at one time for decorative purposes.
Harvey’s saber was more ornate and had a bone handle. He fought in the War of 1812 and attained the rank of colonel. His sword’s blade has suffered some corrosion over the years and requires specialized treatment.
Simona Cristanetti, a conservator who worked for the National Institute of Art and the Smithsonian Institution, spent eight hours recently restoring Harvey’s saber.
It was manufactured by the famous Ames company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, and is engraved with the details of his military achievements and symbols such as crossed cannons.
Cristanetti’s work relies on a head loupe with triple magnification lenses, gloves and rigorous education in chemistry.
“We don’t want to cause any damage,” Cristanetti said. “Our goal is to preserve something so others can learn from it.”
“To become a conservator requires a lot of training,” she said. “It is very time-consuming, but also very rewarding.”
The scientific essence of conservation cannot be overestimated, Cristanetti said. The work can be delicate. The idea is to preserve objects without causing any damage to them. This demands highly specialized study as well as extensive work in the field.
Both sabers were showcased in the museum, which is operated by the National Guard Educational Foundation. They will be put back on display following the restoration.
The swords undergoing restoration tell the stories of those who interacted with them over the years.
A fingerprint has become permanently etched into the blade of Harvey’s sword — proof that natural oil from a person’s hands can leave a lasting impact on objects.
Wax residue was also present on the blade in a sign that a person had attempted to preserve it.
Notably, the ivory hilt of Abel’s sword is marked by a broken fragment that someone tried to repair — replacing its missing piece with an awkward chunk of now-faded material.
Cristanetti must consider how materials will interact with each other as they deteriorate over time and avoid damaging the ivory, which is sensitive to humidity.
She will choose materials carefully to avoid indirectly causing adverse chemical reactions at any point in the future. She will also avoid making repairs to the sword that are so permanent that they cannot be easily modified later.
The goal, after all, is not to change the nature of an artifact — but to preserve it the way it is.
Cristanetti believes that every museum could benefit from the advice of a qualified conservator.
“I would encourage people to speak to trained conservators to know how to best take care of items in their collections and avoid accidentally causing any damage,” she said.
Funding for the restoration effort was made possible by a grant from Samuel Frazier Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
The museum is in the National Guard Memorial, the NGAUS and NGEF headquarters in Washington, D.C.
More information about the foundation is available at www.ngef.org.
— By Zita Fletcher
