Art Liven Art & Antiques · Cologne
Services

Restoration

Furniture, paintings, and wooden objects — preserved with historical techniques and the patience of a master workshop.

Isai Liven mit Lupenbrille und feinem Werkzeug über einer geschnitzten Tafel
The Principle

To restore is to preserve

An antique carries its age not as a flaw but as dignity. That is why one simple principle governs our workshop: to restore is to preserve. Patina and original substance are protected, not polished away — and every measure is tailored individually to the object and agreed upon with you as its owner.

Four guiding lights govern every decision: the original substance, the history of the piece, its legibility, and reversibility. Nothing is altered that a future generation could not undo.

The Approach

Understand first, then act

Every restoration begins with a question: how was this piece built — and what has happened to it since? Only when construction, material, and history are understood does the actual work begin.

Then the historical techniques come into play: glue set warm, shellac polished layer upon layer, tools of the kind the original maker himself would have held. The piece remains what it is — only whole again.

Isai Liven beugt sich tief über eine polychrom gefasste Schnitzerei
“You can never have enough clamps — nor enough patience.”
Workshop wisdom
The Crafts

What happens in the workshop

From veneer to lock: the work is done in-house, following old working techniques.

We work for private and state collections. On request, we also handle the transport and professional storage of your pieces.

Close-ups

The craft in detail

Behandschuhte Hände legen eine polychrome Farbfassung frei

Polychrome paint layers

Uncovered millimetre by millimetre
Zerlegtes Schubfach mit offener Schwalbenschwanzverbindung

Old joints

Stabilised as the first maker built them
Eine Hand schleift ein geschnitztes Profil

The surface

By hand, grain by grain
From One Hand

More services

Schlüssel im Schlüsselschild einer alten Kommode

Buying & Selling

Fine pieces, honestly assessed
Stemmeisen in frischen Holzspänen

Gilding

Gold leaf in the old manner
Die Werkzeugwand der Werkstatt von Art Liven

Appraisal

A trained eye for your piece
Your Piece

Tell us about your piece

Every restoration begins with a conversation. Arrange an appointment at Wittgensteinstraße 13 — by phone at 0221 430 13 95 or by e-mail to artliven@web.de.

Arrange a visit