Behind the scenes at Glasgow Museums with frame conservator Sophie Kostin

“I knew I wanted to do something creative, and I have always had an interest in traditional crafts – even when I was quite young I went through phases of doing the odd thing, like marbling an old table of my mother’s,” she laughs.

“I studied art history at university, and then went ‘off-piste’, to do a City and Guilds course in signwriting.

“I even honed my skills in woodgraining and marbling and I did that as a business for a while.”

She pauses.

“But it wasn’t until I spotted a course in conservation and restoration in a university prospectus that I realised, oh, so THIS is what I should have been doing all along....”

Sophie Kostin, frame restorer pictured in her studio in Glasgow... Photograph by Colin Mearns.16 March 2021.For GT, see interview by Ann Fotheringham..

Now Frames Conservator at Glasgow Museums, Sophie spends her time immersed in some of the city’s most interesting and spectacular works of art.

Part of her job involves preparing items for travel, when they are sent on loan to other collections around the world – something which brought her into contact with one of the city’s most famous paintings.

“The Dali is so iconic in Glasgow it was great to get the opportunity to work on it,” smiles Sophie, referring to Salvador Dali’s painting Christ of St John of the Cross which was loaned to the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, Florida. (It is now back in Glasgow.)

It was Sophie’s job to gently unframe the Dali at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre before Suzanne Ross, Painting Conservator, inspected the work in preparation for it being packed and transported to the Royal Academy.

Sophie Kostin, Frames Conservator at Glasgow Museums, with one of the city's most famous works of art. (C) CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection

“I even travelled with it – that is quite common, outside of pandemic times, and conservators often go with the paintings to ensure they arrive safely,” she adds.

“It feels like a real privilege to work on something like this, and being able to see such iconic works close up and out of their frames.”

Dividing her time between the city’s museums, Glasgow Museums Resource Centre (where the city collections not on display are held) or in her studio off Glasgow Green, Sophie’s work includes all aspects of frame restoration.

She graduated in 2004, and has worked with a variety of clients, from the National Galleries of Scotland, London’s National Portrait Gallery and private painting restorers to local authorities and the National Trust for Scotland.

At Glasgow Museums, a typical day could involve anything from rebuilding broken frames or remoulding ornaments to cleaning and gilding.

Sophie Kostin, frame restorer pictured at work on restoring a picture frame in her studio in Glasgow... Photograph by Colin Mearns.16 March 2021.For GT, see interview by Ann Fotheringham..

“I was one of the few people at university really looking forward to the gilding module,” she smiles. “I absolutely loved it. Working with gold leaf is incredibly satisfying.”

READ MORE: Getting creative with old books is a boost for mental health

The techniques and most of the materials Sophie uses are traditional, having stood the test of time over the centuries.

“There is no real point in trying to reinvent the wheel,” she says. “These are tried and tested methods and materials and they work. Adding modern chemicals doesn’t feel right, so apart from perhaps some glues, the equipment I have here is the same as what a gilder would have used three or four hundred years ago.”

On rare occasions, Sophie gets the chance to create bespoke frames from scratch. “That’s more unusual, so it’s always exciting when I get the chance to do one of those,” she says.

At home, Sophie has one wall dedicated to beautiful, ornate - and empty - frames.

“The thing about frame restoration is that if we’re doing our job correctly, you probably won’t notice it,” she smiles.

“I thought it would be nice to make the frames the stars for once.”