Flying Mercury "before & after"

This is an advert that I ran in the year-end supplement of the 2008 Maine Antiques Digest showing an excellent example of how a hard-worn fire bucket can be brought back with expert attention. All of the restoration work I preform is reversible, following guidelines as prescribed by modern museum standards.
I did not in-paint every area of paint loss because much of the charm of antiquities is found in the time-worn patina..."Less-is-More" in this case. The handle on this bucket is original, but required re-attachment. A missing or detached handle is a very common condition with original buckets but I have developed a method that can invisibly restore the handles back to a visually perfect and functional condition.

This Flying Mercury fire bucket is dated 1846 and was most likely made in the Boston area. Mercury is the ancient pagan patron of Merchants and Tradesmen dating back to Roman times. Most likely "J. B. Curwen", the buckets original owner, was a Bostonian businessman that belonged to an organized fire fighting club. Pictorial fire buckets such as this are often referred to as, "Parade Buckets". During the 19th century, fire club members were known to participate in the frequent parades, carrying emblems of social fraternities such as flags, banners and fire buckets. Fire Clubs, before the formal institution of professional fire departments were important social clubs in the period as are Rotary and Fraternal clubs today.