There was a recent extensive restoration project at the Mellon Auditorium, in Washington DC. Several companies and contractors each got a slice of the pie, and I got a couple crumbs from one of those companies for doing the gilding of the doors in the main hall.
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| The first finished door leaf | . |
There were 11 sets of double doors and two pair of doors with lion's head carvings either side of the stage, in the front of the auditorium. The company that commissioned me to do the gilding was responsible for the restoration of those doors and the framework surrounding them.
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| One of four "lion doors" these were my favourite |
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| "Close up" of the lion. Very nicely carved |
All the doors had been removed and were restored in their facility, which made it much more convenient for gilding than if they had to be done in place, however, the frames and transoms were not easily removed, so they had to remain in situ. Thus, after completing the doors, I had to work at the auditorium for a couple weeks, gilding those parts.
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| Gilding a transom. Thank you to Christian for the photo |
It was a big project, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was happy to have a job doing so much gilding, since I love working with gold leaf. In the end, the project turned up well and everyone was very happy with all of the work done. The auditorium is now finished and dazzling again, as when it was newly built, nearly one hundred years ago.
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| A finished pair installed |
Each door leaf is over three metres tall and 75mm thick. They are constructed of oak and are so heavy that it requires two men to carry a single leaf. Even so, when one is in the auditorium, they actually appear tiny and almost insignificant.
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| View from the balcony looking towards the stage |
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